What reproach did the Lord take away from Elizabeth?
The reproach of hoping in something that never happened.
Hearing & Following Jesus through the valley of the shadow of death for all to see is very vulnerable.
Why would someone purposefully walk in Hope in Jesus for all to see that this journey is not going well?
Because Hope says the future will be better than my present because I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.
And Faith says God sees something only he can see so I’ll act in the direction that he has revealed right now. Even if only he can see it and everyone else can’t.
In the Church, you won’t be the only one to see what God sees. You will have others with you. Probably a minority. Possibly a vast minority. But others to walk in Faith towards the Hope God gives to you.
But when others reproach, that’s when the Hope and Faith are tested. Now the question becomes, “What are you willing to walk through to see God bring the vision to reality?”