A Picture of Hope

When I look around my house and yard, I mostly see a lot of stuff that needs to be either cleaned, straightened, picked up, fixed, thrown away, re-painted, re-finished, re-capped, re-potted, repaired, restored, sewn up, wiped down, polished, dusted, raked, power-washed, weeded, vacuumed, mopped, folded, rinsed, washed, dried, or bathed. 

 In other words, entropy is evident everywhere (to be awesomely alliterative).  And the creation that is "subject to frustration", and "in bondage to decay" (Rom. 8:20-21) is definitely apparent both inside and outside my home.

But in the midst of this dismal vista, shines a view from my window that makes me happy: 
This dilapidated fence!

When I look at it, I see in between the lines (posts) the promise of the future.  The run-down, stained, weathered slats will soon be restored, re-painted by our young friend Steve!  In exchange for some SAT tutoring, he has agreed to be the Tom Sawyer for our fence, and that makes me very happy indeed.  (Pete says it reminds him of a scene from a Karate Kid movie where the task seems so overwhelming and monotonous...  Hopefully Steve doesn't feel the same way... or at least will find some good in it somehow....)

Even though the fence is a poor sight now, I see morphed over it the promise of the future restoration.  The very definition of hope!

Really, though, I guess I should view all creation, and created creatures, with this double-vision, since the Great Promise is all will be Restored soon, "brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God." (Rom. 8:21).  Even the run-down stuff and broken people.... someday...

For now I will enjoy my super-imposed picture of the restored fence over the old fence.  Now, if someone could just get out in the yard and rake those leaves.... and trim the dead branches... and pick up the toys lying around....


Continuing that paragraph in Rom. 8... "For in this hope we were saved.  But hope that is seen is no hope at all.  Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently."