In the past 10 years I’ve had money stolen from me four times.

Twice from our organization’s office.

Twice inside my own home.

All four committed by people I was trying to help in life. All four I thought I trusted.

Chances are, that number is higher. Those four are just ones I know.

Each time was hard, but lessons were learned. Lessons like: Safes are not truly safe unless bolted to the ground, and rusty metal bars over widows can be cut with a saw. But more importantly: overcoming hopelessness is hard. 

In each situation, the person who stole didn’t have hope that life could be better. As much as they tried, they never really trusted those around them to take care of them. Never trusted me as their employer or the director of the place they called home. They didn’t trust their country, their communities, and in some cases their own families. So they took matters into their own hands and tried to provide for themselves the easiest way they knew how. 

Thinking about these four in hindsight, I can’t help but to reflect on my own walk with Christ. How often do I not trust the One who provides for me? How often do I wrestle with a sense of hopelessness for all the suffering I see around me? How often do I try to bypass God’s way and attempt to take matters into my own hands as well?

I’m embarrassed to say, but the answer is more often than I’d like to admit. While I’ve never stolen money, I have had moments of hopelessness. The question is: In times like these, how do we overcome?

We ask for hope.

I know, it seems too simple, but hear me out. Sometimes hope isn’t something we can find ourselves. Sometimes life is just too hard and our ability to see beyond our circumstances is limited. But nothing is too hard for God (Jeremiah 32:27). If we ask Him, He will give us the hope we need. Hope in His unfailing love. Hope in His faithfulness. Hope that no matter how hard life is, He will never leave our side. It is this hope that will sustain us. This hope that will help us overcome. We need only to ask.