“It’s hard to be optimistic when you have a misty optic.”

Vance Havner

Despair – what an awful place to be: what an awful, emotional crisis to experience. Despair is the complete loss or absence of hope. Countless is the number of individuals who have succumbed to the overwhelming power of despair. They have found themselves lost in a state of emotional, mental, physical and spiritual darkness from which they cannot extricate themselves. It seems that despair feeds on despair, and hopelessness breeds more hopelessness.

A state of total despair causes one to think that there is no light at the end of the tunnel. They are consumed with thoughts of total and complete futility as they peer into that dark abyss. So it was with Mary as she visited the tomb in which Jesus had been buried. She arrived in a state of absolute despair. Let’s allow the Biblical narrative to speak for itself:

“But Mary stood outside facing the tomb, crying. As she was crying, she stooped to look into the tomb. She saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet, where Jesus’ body had been lying. They said to her, ‘Woman, why are you crying?’ ‘Because they’ve taken away my Lord,’ she told them, ‘and I don’t know where they’ve put Him.'”

John 20:11-13

What a graphic portrait of despair. Mary had arrived at the tomb early on Sunday morning. Why was she there? What had driven her to visit the place at which Jesus was buried? Was she there because she believed Jesus’ promise that He would arise from the grave? Was she there hoping to see Jesus, alive and well? Or was it just that she felt compelled to be there, to be near Jesus, to once again allow herself time to sorrow and grieve the death of the One in whom she had placed all hope.

But now, that hope was replaced with hopelessness. Her eyes are swollen from the intensity of her tears. Her heart is broken. Her spirit is broken. Her emotions are running wild. Her mind cannot answer any of the questions that keep running through her thought processes. She must have been overwhelmed with a sense of total and complete loss.

Through forty years of pastoral ministry I have witnessed many go through these same emotions. I have been in the waiting room when the doctor came with the news that their loved one had passed from this life. I have been by the bedside of one passing away, while loved ones gathered around the bed to say their final goodbyes. I have been at the church, where words of comfort and hope were shared with family members who, for at least a while, felt anything but comforted or hopeful. I have officiated funerals of individuals from eight months to eighty plus years. I have heard the wails; I have seen the tears; I have observed the anguish.

Despair. Hopelessness. Emotional overload. Spiritual battle. Can’t see beyond the darkness. Can’t see any light at the end of the tunnel. Mary was there. Many others have stood at the same place. Different time. Different location. Different set of circumstances. But still, the same. It is at the point of despair – hopelessness.

So, is there any hope when we find ourselves in a battle with despair? Thankfully, the answer is a resounding yes. Let’s read a little further into the Biblical narrative:

“Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, though she did not know it was Jesus. ‘Woman,’ Jesus said to her, ‘why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?’ Supposing He was the gardener, she replied, ‘Sir, if you’ve removed Him, tell me where you’ve put Him, and I will take Him away.’ Jesus said, ‘Mary.’

In Mary’s despair, even when she turned and saw Jesus, she still did not realize it was Him. Perhaps it was from the swollen eyes resulting from her intense crying. Or, perhaps it was simply because she did not expect to see Jesus standing there, alive. Perhaps she, along with all the others, missed the message Jesus had relayed on several occasions: He would arise on the third day.

Regardless of the reason for Mary not recognizing Jesus, the message is loud and clear, is it not? Despair and hopelessness can put us into such a state that we cannot even recognize Jesus, even though He is right there beside us. He has, after all, promised that He will never leave or forsake us. But, in those moments of deep despair, we can find ourselves in such a state that we cannot feel His presence.

But then, Jesus simply calls her name: “Mary.” Was it in the way He spoke her name? He had already conversed with her, and she had not recognized Him. Perhaps it was the personal touch of hearing her name spoken. And perhaps that is what we so desperately need when we find ourselves in the pit of despair.

The quote by Vance Havner at the beginning of this blog sums it up: “It’s hard to be optimistic when you have a misty optic.” Sometimes the circumstances and situations of life can cause our vision to be misty, out of focus. We know the promises of Jesus, but at the moment we can’t see those promises. Job is a good example to remember. In the midst of his horrific ordeal, he makes the assertion:

“If I go to the east, He is not there, and if I go to the west, I cannot perceive Him. When He is at work to the north, I cannot see Him; when He turns south, I cannot find Him.”

Job 23:8-9

And so it is with us. We look everywhere, but to no avail. And yet, He is there, by our side. He holds true to His promise that He will never leave or forsake us. So, in the midst of the trouble, in the center of the storm, listen for that still, small voice that whispers your name. “Mary.” “Steve.” “Your name.” He is there. He does care. He gives hope. He IS hope. Turn to Him. You will find that He has been there all along.