I have traveled to Israel twice in my life. My first journey was in 2011 as the wall around Jerusalem was being constructed. The second visit was in 2018, between the 2014 conflict and the one that is unfolding now. On the day that our tour group was in Bethlehem, I watched as Israeli planes flew over our heads, heading north. Tensions were high during my second visit. And the recent bombings underscore how the conflict has escalated to the brink of war once again. Let us pray for all those who call Israel home. I truly hope that somehow, leaders from both nations will find a way to begin speaking with one another again.
There have been times in my life when I think about the significance of hope. When I was a child in Cleveland, Ohio, my mother would take my sisters and me downtown. I can’t remember the first time she showed us the statue which was created in honor of those who died or were missing in military service. It is called the Fountain of Eternal Life.
For me, it is a reminder that hope springs eternal. During the turbulence of the 1960s, my mother and sisters visited this statue regularly. Time spent in its shadow helped us to endure some of the civil unrest that was happening around us. There were protests about the draft, whether or not our nation should even be involved in the Viet Nam War, and numerous news stories about the struggle for civil rights for African Americans.
Whenever my sisters and I would go downtown, to visit the library or shop, we would walk over to this statue and spend time looking up at the figure which was reaching toward heaven. The picture I share in this Puzzler’s Corner is one of my screen savers. Each day, I see this statue and know that there is hope.
God is with us as our life journeys continue. Our Lord wants us to reach towards heaven when we find ourselves in life’s valleys. God asks us to turn to Him in prayer, whether that is the recitation of the psalms, singing hymns of praise and want, or lifting up the words that our Lord and Savior taught us to pray.
We have hope, each time we reach up to God to share where we are. We hope that true healing will take place in our lives and for the world. We have faith that the Lord will hear our voices and answer our prayers. I believe I have shared this picture before, and I do so again, as a way of affirming our loving relationship with our Creator. And Amen.
Image from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fountain_of_Eternal_Life#/media/File:Fountain_of_Eternal_Life_9-20-2015_(cropped).jpg