“You’re not crazy. You’re sick.  You will get better.  It will take time.  And I will fight this fight with you.”  My Naturopathic Doctor looked me deep in the eyes as she made this promise.

And right there, hope was resurrected.

Just a glimmer of hope.  A spark. But it was enough to get started.  Enough to keep me going.

You know what it’s like when hope dies?  The light is gone. Everything seems dark. I’d been falling for so long, it seemed as though there was no way up.  Or that the way up was so steep and far, and I had no strength to make it.  I pictured myself climbing partway up, only to fall back to the bottom. Or clinging to a branch with no strength to continue.

That’s how Jesus’ disciples felt after he died.  Hope had died with him.  The stuff he said.  The miracles he did.  They were good and all, but what about now?  How were they supposed to live?  What were they supposed to do?

Has hope ever died in your life, even for a little while?  Has there been a time where the climb seemed impossible?  Where change felt impossible?  Or you simply didn’t have the strength to try again?

There IS resurrection.  You can rise again.

Jesus did.  He broke free from the grave and appeared to his followers.  And everything changed.  Because he was with them again.

Did their circumstances change?  Not really.  They were hunted down, arrested, and killed.  Used as scapegoats as Rome imploded and caught on fire. Some were rich and some were poor. Some were even slaves.

What changed was that hope was alive.  They were no longer alone.  As hope came alive, their hearts were changed.  What seemed impossible became possible.  Healing, sharing with those in need, bearing the weight of persecution.  All possible because Jesus was alive.  Hope was alive.

It wasn’t easy.  But it was possible.  The same was true for me.  It wasn’t easy to get better.  It took a long time.  A lot of effort and sacrifice.  And now I knew what seemed impossible was possible.  Now I was willing to try.  Because hope was resurrected.  By the presence of my Naturopathic Doctor.  And the Spirit of Jesus.

What brought you back to life?  My guess is that someone helped you believe in hope again.  A friend, loved-one, or trusted doctor.

Maybe you’ve been that for someone else too.  Your belief helped them believe.

We all need that in our lives.  People who believe in us when we don’t believe in ourselves.  People who understand when hope is fading, and sit with us rather than judge.  Who then gently shine the light of hope on the path forward.

Why not take time today to thank those people in your life?  Those who have brought a type of resurrection to you?  And feel free to share in the comments.