When All There is Left is Hope

Some days the Lord reminds us of his goodness and faithfulness through the smile of a friend, through the laughter of our children, or through the warmth of spring sunshine. On other days, God reminds us of his goodness through a gentle but unwavering whisper of hope—a whisper that needs us to be still, to listen carefully through the chaos of our pain, and to hear him declare his ultimate triumph even as the war wages around us.

It was on one of those latter days that “Molly” walked through the front door of Assurance and proclaimed with quiet boldness God’s faithfulness to her despite circumstances. Molly had seen more life in her short years than many of us see in a lifetime and had been routinely used and abused by the people in her life who should have been her protectors. It was the result of yet another abusive situation that had placed her in need of Assurance and the services we could offer. She was alone, scared, and hungry for information about how she could provide for herself and her unborn child.

As I sat and listened to Molly, giving her space to share her story, I felt a protective instinct for her rise up. My soul cried out to God, “When will this end, Lord? Jesus come!” From a worldly perspective, wrath and bitterness would have been understandable emotions for Molly. Yet in front of me, what I saw was the gospel play out before my eyes. Grace. Forgiveness. Hope. Restoration.

Molly shared that when the trauma of her past starts to haunt her, she starts to pray because praying calms her down and reminds her to hope. She told me, “All I have is hope…hope because of Jesus. He’s everything and all I have.” We prayed together and worked to develop a plan that would provide her a safe place to live, a community to mentor and encourage her, and access to medical services for her and her child. She thanked me that day because through Assurance she found a haven—a safe place that served as a channel to direct her to long-term support and services. I thanked Molly that day for allowing me to see the vulnerability of God working to create a new thing in her.

On many days, the pain and suffering of our clients weighs heavily. As a team we pray, we lift each other’s burdens, and we seek to pour out the unending love of Jesus to our clients. And on days like the day that Molly walked into our lives, we were reminded of God’s faithfulness to go before and prepare the way—that God is already at work in our clients’ lives and that he is inviting us to participate in his story interweaving itself in their stories. Molly thanked us that day for being available and ready to be God’s hands and feet to her in her time of need. I thanked God for allowing me to see his story at work—of beauty from ashes. Let us all be reminded today that when all there is left is hope, God is there. And he is always faithful.

-Keturah Johnson, Client Services Associate