False Hope

I'd love to say
"It'll be ok"
"You'll see, it'll be alright in the end"
"Of course it'll be fine"
Or some other platitude
But I just can't tell you that
I won't.
I've seen others do it
And I simply will not make a promise to you that God might not keep
A guarantee to make you feel better.

I remind myself that false hope isn't a hope worth having
It's not hope at all
It's denial, pushing your fear to the side
Ignoring it
And you won't learn that from me.

So instead I'm careful
I say
"most likely"
"probably"
"hopefully"
In the face of uncertainty and pain
I'll hold you and invite Him in
I'll teach you to be truthful about your fear
Run to God and weep with Him with it
Let Him comfort you
Let Him fill you with hope
That He never changes.  Not ever
He's always good.
He does not ignore the cries of those who suffer
He never forgets the needy
He is worth trusting
and will love you for all eternity

So that maybe, when you feel fearful again in life
You'll remember these days
And you'll know your way back to Him.