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Extending Grace and Igniting Hope
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I believe that Thoreau’s words are very prevalent to the world today. When we look at social media, social status, and even influencer culture, there is a reward in acting as if your life is perfect and better than the people around you. However, that stifles space that could be made for real conversation and real struggle. Therefore, I think a lot of people are left feeling lonely, isolated, and less than, even though the metric they are comparing themselves to is curated and in many ways fake. I think that quiet desperation is really a desperation for connection and understanding, that is kept quiet because it feels vulnerable. I can definitely relate to this as there have been times I have felt alone and “desperate” for connection and understanding, but I have kept it inside because I don’t want to break the facade I have some times put up of what my life is and who I am (or present myself as).
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I agree with Philip Yancey about grace being the last good word. As it was said in the video, the word grace has continued to be recognized by believers and non-believers. The extent of the understanding of that word varies but it is still recognized as something good.
I think the quiet desperation that Thoreau was referring to is seen, or felt, as a hole in someones life. a lack of purpose or sense of dissatisfaction or lack of direction in life. I think a lot of people feel this way, and I have felt this also, even knowing Christ. I feel this way during the times in my life where I have lost focus on the goodness of God, and once I press into Him again, the quiet desperation begins to go away. I think igniting hope looks like this. Bringing the knowledge of the grace of God and His goodness to people and allowing the Holy Spirit to work in their lives to replace this desperation with hope.
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It seems as though the world has misappropriated many words and symbols that once had very specific meanings – especially for the Church. I think, for the most part, grace has maintained much of its meaning, however, I have noticed – incidentally within the Church – a danger of grace being misinterpreted or misused. Primarily what I am referring to is the concept of grace being a license for the Christian to live whatever kind of life they want, as it is all covered by grace. Conversely, I think of King David as being someone who made some big mistakes, but afterwards his heart would break before the Lord and he would repent and be devastated by the realization of what he had done. That seems to be quite a contrast to the “cheap grace” that I am referring to.
Even though Henry David Thoreau made this statement in the 1800’s, I think today, more than ever, there is a lack of hope in our society. Depression and suicide are exponentially on the rise and often times friends and family will report that they had no idea the person was even suffering – indicative of “quiet desperation”. I also agree that Jesus is the Hope that the world needs.
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Grace is the last good word, because the meaning behind it remains the same to this day. I never really thought about how powerful the word grace really is until recently. The more I engage with people everywhere I go the more I am struck by the need for grace in our world today. Many I’ve spoken to have issues with the church but when I talk about Jesus and His love, grace and mercy they want to know more.
When I think of people living lives in quiet desperation, I think of all the people who look like they have it all together but underneath they are desperate for something more. They hide this desperation inside of themselves and keep it quiet because they think they need to have it all together for their family, their job, their community. The truth is these prisons of secrecy can keep people trapped for years. I can relate to this, when I was younger I felt like I had to keep all of my issues to myself and be what everyone else expected. As a result, I withdrew from the world and it took me a long to find my way back. We need to foster an environment where people feel like they can be loved and accepted so they don’t hide themselves away. The beautiful thing about the gospel is that Jesus loves completely and accepts you wholeheartedly without reservations.
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