Hopeless --> Hopeful

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vR2qjrgbP1w

This is a message on hope. In the Bible, Hope is defined as the confident expectation of and longing for the promised blessings of righteousness.

I’ve been going through some dark times myself and I haven’t been myself. I made a vow to myself and to God that I’ll follow Him no matter what. I kept getting small messages from God through things I was watching on TV while in my mind talking to God about how I trust Him in this time. He kept giving me messages of hope and what it means.

So, I was watching the movie Trolls and it gave me a perfect example.

For all of you that haven’t seen the movie Trolls, it’s about Trolls that are happy, vibrant (in color), upbeat, always singing. They have been trying to escape their enemies the Bergen’s for years. They’ve escaped the Bergen’s who are trying to devour by eating them for their happiness, repeatedly and remained in hope. They had a hope that if they just keep moving, they will outlast their enemies and be free.

The main character is Poppy who is the daughter of the king of the trolls and Branch who has lost all his vibrant color and hope because he lost his grandmother because he was singing, and it attracted a Bergen by sound, and it came and was about to devour him when his grandmother stepped in and pushed him aside and she was the one that was eaten instead. Branch went on living colorless (hopeless), fearful, and all his joy stolen. Branch had a beautiful singing voice; his grandmother told him it sounded like an angel, but he didn’t sing anymore because of the Bergen devouring something he loved. That sounds like our famous John 10:10. Steal, kill and destroy. Branch no longer had his hope that they could outlast the Bergen’s and started preparing his bunker instead of believing in what was promised.

The climax of this movie is when Poppy herself, tries to save the Trolls but she ends up losing hope herself because they were captured. All the vibrant pink color in her body and hair left and she apologizes to the rest of the Trolls for not being able to save them which she originally set out to do. She falls to her knees in a defeated state. This entire time she’s been shelling out happiness to Branch who has been colorless (hopeless) for years since his trauma presented itself in his grandmothers’ death.

As Poppy loses all her color and hope and falls to her knees in defeat, every other troll watching her experience, does the same. They all lose their color (hope). Branch is watching in shock because he has witnessed all of Poppy’s happiness and hope just to disappear in a moment. All the stuff she has been through travelling from their hide out to the castle and when she finally gets captured it’s all fades away. (Proverbs 13:12). Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

This is where the story changes for me. Branch himself, a guy that has 0 hope steps in and sings to Poppy: True Colors by Cyndi Lauper. This made me think. How often does God sit at our side and sing to us to get up out of the place of defeat and remain with hope? When we have given up and fell to our knees in defeat. How many times have we lost our vibrant colors and smiles and stopped doing the things we love? How many times have we given up on our dreams because of one situation that comes in and hits us harder than we’ve ever been hit before?

Poppy even ignores her signal to be joyous, in her watch on her wrist that tells them when it’s time for hugs. The entire Troll congregation if you will, ignore it and continued in their defeat.

Branch starts singing to Poppy, trying to talk her up into herself again. As she hears him singing, she fills with color again and they touch hands. Branch and the rest of the trolls fill back up with their hope as their leader does. Poppy asks Branch “how are you finally happy right now” during all this mess. How are you happy??! This is the time you choose to be happy? And he replies happiness is inside all of us! So, to me, that says HOPE is inside of all of us. We must CHOOSE hope and not let our situation get the best of us. No matter the situation is. The devil comes to steal, kill and destroy all the good things in us that God has created. (John 10:10). The enemy had her bound and she lost hope, but someone didn’t lose hope and fed it back to her.

But we must continue in hope, Poppy filling up again in her hope reminds me of Isaiah 40:31 “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.”. Yes, Poppy had her moment where she faced defeat, but she didn’t stay there. We cannot allow the enemy to trick us into believing that’s the end and we are bound by our circumstances because Jeremiah 29:11 says otherwise. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and hope.” So whatever battle you’re facing use Deuteronomy 3:16 “be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.”

Be confident in the expectation of and longing for the promised blessings of righteousness.