“Þetta reddast”

In Iceland, over half the population lives by the phrase: “Þetta reddast” (pronounced “THETTA red-ahst”). It means that everything will turn out all right in the end. Throughout history the Icelandic people have endured great hardships due to the extreme rough terrain of volcanic activity and the harsh environment of the Northern Atlantic Ocean. They’ve suffered through famine and poverty. Yet today, Iceland is vibrant and thriving. “Þetta reddast” is a phrase that focuses on the future, and a positive future at that. With this perspective of life, endurance can grow, and hope can flourish.  Hope is powerful. It can turn the impossible into something possible. 

Perspective is so important in life. Too often we can get caught up in the difficulties of life and live without a sense of hope, focusing on the problems that life throws at us. I once had a friend who told me about how he handled the difficulties of life by literally changing perspective. He would take me up flying in his small plane.  He told me he loves to fly because when he looks down from the sky all his troubles seem so small. When he lands, he has the courage to face them.

None of us can predict how things will work out in the end, but as we face hardships, a perspective of hope will encourage us to endure and persevere to a positive outcome. The apostle Peter encouraged the early churches, who were facing great oppression, to keep the faith by reminding them that they have hope. A hope that is alive. He writes about this hope to the early churches in his first letter:  

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you,” …from I Peter 1.

As you begin a new year keep your perspective looking to God. Remember that God is always with you, cares for you and loves you. For those who trust in God through dark times you have the light of hope guiding you through to the end. Keep trusting God and live a hope-filled life.

Campus Pastor Lane Skoglund-Anderson

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