Suffering produces Hope

I have a friend. A wonderful man who is loved by all those around him. A  happy guy who always has a joke for when you need a laugh. A big, teddy bear whom children flock to, and who always seems to have a neverending supply of lollipops.

My friend was in an accident about 2 months ago, and it left him with a broken collar bone, and several fractures in his back. In the blink of an eye, his future became very uncertain. All of the sudden his hopes and dreams shrank, and the biggest hope he and his family had for tomorrow was to see him walk again. Yet he didn't loose that smile.

I tell you all this because I believe in small victories. Because I know that baby steps may be shaky and wobbly, and small, but they still will get you to your destination. And I can say this with renewed certainty, because my friend walked today.

I wish you could have seen his face, captured in the photo I was shown. He was smiling the biggest smile I think I've ever seen. And the therapist had a smile that was just as big! They weren't just smiles, they were badges of honor.
Medals.
The hard-earned rewards of persistence, courage, and faith. They were proudly displaying the laurels of hope, and boy; did they look good!

His expression brought tears of joy to my eyes, and they reminded me, once again, that our hope is not found in the things of this world. Our hope is found in Christ alone. It is by His strength that this man was able to walk again, and it is through Him that we can call even our sufferings blessings! My buddy is a living example of this, and I pray that he uses each triumph, as well as every struggle, to glorify the One who makes all things new.

Romans 5:2-5 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.