Hope On A Dimmer Switch

“Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.” (Ps 97:11 AV)

It is important that we see hope and gladness in degrees.  Hope and gladness are not an ‘off’ or ‘on’ situation.  There are degrees of hope.  There are degrees of gladness.  To give an example:  when I greet people, I ask how they are.  There is one young lady whom I like to give a bit of a hard time and take note of her response.  Sometimes it is ‘ok’.  Other times, it is ‘good’.  Then there is the ‘pretty good’.  Or the grammatically correct ‘well’ or ‘very well’ may be the response.  I give her a hard time in noting the incline or decline of her disposition hoping that she will one day arrive at ‘excellent’.  We must think of light and gladness in this manner.  Note in particular that light is sown.  Like seed scattered in a field, there are different stages of that plant’s life.  It ultimately results in a harvest.  In the duration of its growth, there is anticipation and even some beauty along the way.  This is actually the context of this verse.  It is the response to difficult situations brought about by the influence of the wicked.

I had forgotten just how one feels when spring comes around.  Having lived in a warmer climate for the last decade, there was always greenery somewhere.  Usually lawns or even some wild bushes gave some appearance of life, even in the harshest of winters.  Now that I live in the great white north again, I am reminded of how regenerative spring can be.  In the front of our house is a flower bed.  The good people of our church have planted perennials some years ago.  When spring rolls around, a bit of weeding is all that is really necessary.  As the temperatures warm up and the rains fall, these perennials begin to shoot up through the soil.  For weeks, all they appear to be is a shoot.  What is remarkable to be is that only being here for one year, I cannot remember what they are, so when they do grow to maturity, to me it will seem brand new.  Each passing week brings a bit more growth.  Each passing week brings anticipation of brightly colored flowers and sweet smells.  The flower doesn’t have to be there to enjoy the beauty of the plant.  Knowing what it will be and the anticipation of it is what brings enjoyment.

So, too, is the light God has sown.  It will be experienced in its fullness when we ascend to glory.  Our problem arises when our eyes are cast down rather than up.  Like the field that lay dormant over the winter months, life can seem dreary and hopeless.  We soon forget the field will be full of crops that will grow, bloom, and produce fruit.  The light God has sown is just that.  Hope that is sown.  Hope that appears in differing degrees.  Sometimes, just a shoot.  Other times, there are gorgeous blooms.  Still other times, the stalk and leaves have dried, but the fruit remains.  With a little rest for the earth, the cycle starts all over again.  We may not have all the answers.  We may not have all the blessings.  But the LORD has given as He has seen prudent that we might have light in this world and this light will only grow brighter the closer we get to glory.