The Tide-Turning Power of HopeNäide

Water. Can you smell it? The salty spray of an ocean shoreline. The earthy aroma of a running brook. The humid air before a thunderstorm.

To me, the scent of water is humble; it is neither over-powering nor obvious. In fact, it’s almost hidden in the neon array of sensory experiences that surround us. I guess that’s what makes it such an interesting metaphor for describing hope.

Why describe one of life’s most essential themes with such a subtle choice? Why would a scent so faint, so hidden, be chosen by any writer to articulate the nature of hope?

Yet, that’s exactly the description chosen by a man who has come to embody the promise of hope amid great adversity. Job chose this metaphor from the well of bitterness.

Job went through catastrophic suffering. He lost his 10 children, his physical health, and his wealth. His life was like a tree that was brutally cut down.

Although all appeared to be lost, Job made a prediction: at the scent of water, the stump would bud again like a flourishing tree.

No matter how bleak, how discouraging, or how final your circumstances seem, stretch your expectations to believe that out of this situation, new opportunities will grow.