Hope is a good thing...

Hope is one of those words you hear all the time, it has become so commonplace in our day.

I hope you have a good day...

We are hoping against hope...

I hope you feel better soon...

It is almost as if we are using the word hope as our very own wishing well. Just sort of throwing it out there like throwing pennies into a fountain. And if we say it enough - we just might get our wish... or hope as it were.

As a believer in the Lord Jesus, I am so very thankful to know that my hope is not some wish made on a prayer or something that is impersonal and cold. My hope (and yours too, if you know the Lord) is not a thing at all. Our hope is a Person - the person of Jesus.

He is real, tangible, living and wants us to know more than anything that He alone is our HOPE.

I know for me, especially on weeks like this one when I have been sick, had more seizures than I can count and been in great amounts of pain from arthritis, for me to be able to reach out and call on my Savior who died for me so that I could have hope - it is the greatest comfort.

This week 3 precious friends of mine have lost loved ones and it has been very tough on them and their families. Death is always so hard and so final. I am praying for these sweet friends and trusting the Lord to heal their broken hearts. But in all of the grief I know that there is much HOPE. Hope that they will see their beloved one again and hope that they are now resting in the arms of the One who loves them more than they will ever know. They are holding on to the fact that hope is indeed a good thing...

One of my favorite quotes is from the movie, The Shawshank Redemption...

"Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things and no good thing ever dies, so get busy living or get busy dying."

As a person with disabilities this speaks volumes to me. First, it says that my hope, my faith, my trust, my belief needs to be sure and steady. And not in myself, my wheelchair, my doctor or even my sweet husband that I love so much - my hope must be eternal, everlasting and unshakable. My hope must be in Christ alone.

Second, it reminds me that hope is precious, a good thing. That the Lord has given to His children to remind them we always have Him to hold on to - the best of things.

Webster's defines hope as: to wish for something with expectation to its fulfillment, to have confidence, trust.

God's Word tells us:

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1 As Christ followers, we can be sure of the hope we have in Him with our hearts and not so much with our eyes.

And finally, this quote reminds me that life is so short - something that my sweet friends who have met death face to face this week, know all too well. For me it tells me that I have a choice each day, I can sit and wollow over the things that I cannot do any longer or are far too difficult for me these days or I can rejoice in my God the all sufficient grace that He pours down on me each day - in other words I can get busy living. Although it has taken me a while to get to this place, I choose to do just that - LIVE!

We all have so much to give, no matter where our journey in life takes us or the hills and valleys we encounter along the way. I know for me I want to rejoice in the hope of the Lord and allow God to use me in any way He sees fit. And that, my precious friends, is what He wants for you as well. So today, I encourage you to remember that hope is a good, good thing and let us all get busy living!

Rejoicing in Hope,
Roxanne