Hope

Hope is the anticipation of something good about to happen. Hope is a belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one's life. It is the feeling that what is wanted can be had and that events will turn out for the best. Hope says that whatever your circumstances are right now, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and it is not a train. Hope encourages us to wait during the storms of life, to seek shelter in knowing good will return like the sun after the storm.

Hope sits in the background of life, rarely noticed when it is there but sorely missed in its absense. Hope is there as one get up in the morning, and prepares for work, play or to relax. Without it, life isn't worth living. It is a Holy Spirit gift that we can not conjure up on our own nor can we will it to happen. It adds meaning and purpose to life and puts a smile on our face. Without varying degrees of hope, at best we are "tired" all the time or, at its worst, despondent, cynical and gloomy.

Hope is as integral to faith as O is to H2O. Without hope, faith turns into religious beliefs and church is a "sharp stick to the eye." Hope is what instills a sense of awe and wonder to our faith, the anticipation of greater, more wondrous things to come. Hope is why children get up at 5 am on Christmas morning, with joy sparkling in their eyes that threatens to burst into laughter and squealing. It causes them to almost vibrate with energy, believing in the unseen so much that they can see it...touch it. Isn't that something we all need to have in our lives, a joyful energy so overwhelming that we can't wait to turn the page and experience what's next? Isn't that what God is all about?

Without hope, we fall into depression, a gooey, swampy malase that bogs us down, making our feet difficult to move. It is a weariness that drains away joy slowly until one day you realize you are running on empty, an emptiness so profound that any movement seems void of meaning or strength. Without it, we are left to conjure up our own entertainments, plans and schemes, most of which do little more than delay the fightening reality of meaninglessness and purposelessness. Life without hope is void.

Hope is something we can pray for. Have you ever prayed for God to fill your heart with hope? Couldn't we all use a little more hope to fight off the cynical thoughts? Couldn't we all use a little more hope? Ask the Father for more and He will give it to you...He is the only source of hope.

Father, in the name of Jesus, fill our lives with hope. Give us joy unbounding for the wondrous future you have in store for us. Fill us with meaning and purpose that adds fun to our faith, that makes waiting for you more like Christmas morning instead of being in mourning. Bless your children with hope, Father today.