The Beauty of Esperanza

This morning, on a most routine visit to a local coffee shop, I saw hope.

Hope. It’s such a simple word when written down on a piece of paper or typed on to a page. Four little letters, no complexity at all in the pronunciation. Such a simple word with such profound impact.

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:12

“And His name will be the hope of all the world.” Matthew 12:21

“Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.” -Romans 12:12

“Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” –Romans 15:13

“Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.” Hebrews 11:1

We hope for the best. We hope to see people we love. We love to hear stories of hope. We are inspired by hope, held up by hope, lifted high by hope. There are times when, as the song by Addison Road says, “everything rides on hope,” - when faith grows faint and hope is all we have.

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” - Romans 5:3-5

Today, as I walked out of the coffee shop to my car, a most gentle breeze swept quietly over me. Almost indiscernible, but it was there – touching the drought-stricken grass and parched trees on another hot August day. Almost indiscernible – except in the sway of the Esperanza flowers in front of me. The clusters of bright yellow trumpets, perched in a sea of dark green unscathed by the heat, moved with the breeze as if playing a tune to welcome it. I sat and watched the graceful motion, enamored by its beauty.

And then I saw it. Hope.

Hope is that gentle breeze that sweeps over us, that moves us. Hope is that quiet nudge that focuses us. Hope embraced opens our eyes to see, to expect.

I want to be Esperanza, welcoming hope in times of providence and in times of drought.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” – Jeremiah 29:11