Hope. Seems as if we are searching for this thing. Hope.
We are personally ill or have a friend who is battling an illness. We hope for treatment. We hope for a cure. We hope for recovery. We hope for rest.
We have been searching for just the right job. We hope it fits the life of our family. We hope it will bring us satisfaction. We hope our co-workers are nice or at least tolerable.
We are seeking peace in our relationships. We hope they will understand. We hope they will meet us in the middle. We hope for some resolution. We hope the kids will be okay.
Hope. Daily. Seeking. Hope. In Something. In Someone.
This is one reason that I love the Christmas story. Whether you are a believer or not you could not have gone through the Christmas Season and not gazed upon the manger scene.
No matter where you were at, you could not have avoided it. Nearly every street on every block has the manger scene.
Maybe you hoped it had nothing to do with you. Maybe you hoped it had something to do with you. Maybe you hoped it had everything to do with you.
What I love about seeing baby Jesus in the manger is it reminds me of the hope that came.
Jesus Christ came as hope. Hope for the past. Hope for our present. Hope for our future.
Merriam-Webster defines hope as, to cherish a desire with anticipation or to desire with expectation of obtainment.
One of my favorite verses is Hebrews 11:1. Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
It is one of my favorite verses because I feel like it defines me. I have a confident faith in what I hope for, the reality of Jesus Christ. Who came in the flesh to dwell among us, died, was resurrected, and now is seated at the right hand of God interceding on my behalf on a daily basis.
You might ask, how do you know that? How can you say that with confidence? Did you see Christ in the flesh and how can you believe these stories?
My answer is hope. My hope came for me. My hope is someday returning for me. My hope is in Jesus Christ. Hebrews reminds us we can have the assurance of this hope.
For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it. Romans 8:24-25
Many people may argue that Jesus Christ is not or was not real. Many argue His existence. After all, with my own two eyes, I have not seen Him. I will not argue that point today. Romans, however, tells us hope is not seeing because who hopes for something they have seen. (I do not hope for my neighbor to get better when I have already seen she is well.)
Hope is the anticipation, the eager perseverance of waiting for what we confidently know to be true.
How can I know and have confidence in this hope?
I have witnessed the hand of God in my life. I have witnessed the rescue of my heart. I have felt the peace that comes only from God and we are called to be of witness to that hope.
But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.
1 Peter 3:15
Quick story. My five-year-old little guy was outside with me. A recycling truck came by my house and as the giant metal arms of the truck were picking up the recycling bin, my guy got scared, ran away from me right past the truck. As he did, the arms came up and the bin on it hit him square in the face. He flew back to the stone surround of the flowerbed with a near miss to the back of his head. There is really no reason why he came out of that accident with a few loose teeth and a scratch on the chin. Everything about that should have gone severely bad.
I saw every second of it. It plays over and over in my mind. Every time, it brings me to tears. Why? My guy was saved.
My God is good. In God, I have hope. Some days, in some situations, it is all I have. It is what makes me persevere when times are tough and I have nothing else to grab or hold onto.
Hope. Hope for my past. Hope in the present. Hope for my future.
What do you do with this hope? Do you grab a hold of this hope for yourself? Do you continue seeking hope in something or someone else? The choice is yours to make.
If you would like to know further how you find hope in Jesus Christ, send an email to youresewtrendy@gmail.com
Now Join us as Friends Meet, Sit Down and Share Life at Sitting Among Friends Blog Party.
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There is Hope even in the midst of our messy situation. Thank God your boy was saved. That's a testimony. How are you Jamie? Hope your Christmas break was good?
Happy New Year in advance and loads of blessings to you Jamie.
Thank you beautiful friend. I am so glad you are here with us again. Our Christmas break was good. Life is a testimony and God lets us experience things so we can be that testimony to His greatness. Have a Happy New Year.
My goodness! So glad your little one is going to be okay. So scary for you both. Thankful for hope as we enter 2016, Jesus is everything or He is nothing at all! Blessings.
You are so right. He is our everything or He is nothing at all! I love the opportunity to meet here with friends to have these conversations. Thank you for being a new friend here.
So glad to hear your son is okay. What a scare. But, as you say, without hope there is nothing.
Thank you so much Pam. Just a testimony to God's greatness. Those are the times where I feel truly humbled by His presence. Have a Great New Year.
God is so good! Glad to hear your son is okay. Hope is my favorite part of the Christmas season as well. Thanks for hosting, and Happy New Year 🙂
Thank you Kelly for sharing with us today. I am always glad to see familiar faces. I hope that you and your family have a Happy New Year.
Thanks for sharing with #SocialButterflySunday, Jaime! New Years is going well. Hope you and your family have a Happy New Year as well 🙂
Hi Jaime,
Thank you for sharing that inspirational message of hope. I love being reminded that our God is the God of faith, hope, love and peace. Here is one of my favorite passages from Romans 15:13. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Have a Hope Filled New Year
What a great verse. May the God of hope FILL you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. The overflow of this hope is comes from our life and our testimony. May we be a testament to His by bringing sharing the joy and peace in our lives. Thank you so much for sharing with us Laurie.
Thanks so much for visiting and inviting me to join you here! This is a lovely link up with so many familiar faces. Thanks again! Blessings
Thank you Tayrina. I always enjoy reading your posts and look forward to reading them here Wednesdays.
Thank you for the party. Getting here late this week. Holiday fun getting the best of me. Adding this to my party page and sharing it on Facebook.
Michelle, Thank you so much for partying here with us. So glad that you will be coming back every week and thanks for sharing. Really sharing anything that we do helps all of us so thank you. Look forward to seeing you next week.
If you have a blog button, I would like to post your link up on my blog hop page. Have a great day.
Thanks for linking up at Mondays @ Soul Survival! New Year blessings!
Love making connections Donna. Glad to linkup with you. Happy New Year to you.
This is so beautiful, your heart is so devoted to God, so faithful and robust! How blessed your little boy was..how terrifying it could have been! Thank you God!! Blessings! Visiting from #playdateswithGod today!
Hi Kathy, All I can say is God is good. Thank you for visiting us. I hope to see you back next week.
OH, my goodness, what a story about your little one! I'm so grateful he's ok. Hope is a beautiful thing and makes all the difference in a life. Praying a Hope-full new year to you, my friend.
Thank you Laura. Without hope, I feel we are just wanderers. I need purpose and I am glad my purpose is found in Christ Jesus. After all, my journey has led me to some amazing people like yourself. You have a wonderful new year.
There must first be HOPE before our faith can see the actual evidence. Wow, but your son had a close call. I know the angels were there, even through he was hit and shaken, he was also protected. Thank you for your excellent take on Hope, shared with us here at Tell me a Story.
His boat was rocked and it is funny you say that. I called my mom and said this boy has a pillow of angels surrounding him all the time. Lessening his falls and holding his head. He is such a sweet child. He is always getting himself into moments where he needs surrounded and that is all there is to it. I remind him how God is good and how He protects his sweet little life.