When Nope Turns Into Hope

She was writing in a journal once about some thoughts she was having. 

I know, that's kind of a superfluous statement. Writing thoughts in a journal. 

What journal doesn't have thoughts? 

Be that as it is, this is how many journal entries go ... 

From that teenage girl who writes about a cute boy crush; to the one who pens frustrations about school; to the one who doodles flowers and shapes around the words that speak to her heart; to the one who scribbles overflowing thoughts and feelings on the blank paper; to the one who pours out her soul as a prayer to the welcoming ears of God. 

From the one whose tears stain the white page; to the one whose colourful gel pens fill the lines with passion and beauty; to the one who just doesn't know what to do, and writes with the hope that something will come out once it's on paper; to the one who stares at the empty page, waiting for inspiration. 
Entries of few words; entries of filled pages.  

There's power in the pen and paper. 

So there was this journal entry by a girl who was struggling with something. 
Let's call it her great frustration.

One thing had happened. Then another. And another. And before she knew it, life was spiralling downwards into a sandy pit with no hope for change. 

One day, she wrote, "I just can't win." 
Life hurt. 
Things kept piling up. 

She felt lost. 
Stuck.
Hurt.
And hopeless. 
The next line she penned was a mistake. 

"Hope, I can ..."

What? Wait a minute! 
Oh. She meant, "Nope, I can't." 

She scratched out the "H" and corrected it. 

Nope, I can't. 
I can't do it. 
I can't bear it. 
I can't believe. 
I can't win. 
I just can't win. 

Yet, in the beautifully transforming places of a journal, her pen had written, "Hope, I can ...".

And she sat, pondering. 
Her "Nope" had turned into "Hope". 
"Nope, I can't," became "Hope, I can."

Because that's the beauty of hope. 
Even when she didn't see it. Even when she didn't feel it. 

But this kind of hope came from a place where power resides. 
This kind of power was beyond her ability.
Her ability could hope, but this hope was dependent on the most awesome force, the most sovereign Being, the most faithful, loving God. 
So when she felt she couldn't, hope could.
When she felt she couldn't, He could. 
He can. 
Hope can.

Her nope became hope. 

Hope, I can do it.
Hope, I can bear it. 
Hope, I can believe.
Hope, I can win.
And this not being the wishful-thinking kind of hoping ... but the knowing of hoping. The deep-rooted knowing. 

When nope becomes hope, lost becomes found. 
When nope becomes hope, stuck becomes freedom. 

When nope becomes hope, hurt becomes healed. 

When nope becomes hope, hopeless becomes hopeful. 

When nope becomes hope, God becomes the forefront. 
When nope becomes hope, transformation happens and there is no stopping it. Power is unleashed.

The next day, her journal page stared up at her. Daring her to write more. Waiting, anticipating ... what would happen now? What would she write in the next entry? What would come out of such hope?

And her story continued ... when nope became hope ...

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:13, NIV)

"My only hope is in Your unfailing love and faithfulness." (Psalm 40:11, NLT)