by CAREY SCOTT
“I pray that God, the
source of all hope, will infuse your lives with an abundance of joy and
peace in the midst of your faith so that your hope will overflow through
the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 (VOICE)
We recently learned that I’m not the best driving instructor
in the family. That award goes to my husband, who doesn’t scream when
our 15-year-old takes the corner too fast. I may or may not have said a
choice word or two while holding on to the dashboard for dear life.
Sweet mother, I think I need therapy.
Truth is, my son isn’t a bad driver. He’s actually quite good. And
while he may take a corner a little faster than feels comfortable, we’re
not in jeopardy. He might be in learning mode, but the kid is doing a
bang-up job (in a good way) of learning to navigate the road and a
vehicle. Of course, all credit goes to my husband, who never seems to
get his feathers ruffled while in the passenger seat.
For me, these drives are full of all kinds of hopes.
... I hope Sam will stay on the road.
... I hope he’ll remember his turn signal.
... I hope I don’t die.
And I’m sure Sam has one prevailing hope: I hope my mom will keep her mouth shut.
Hope is a powerful motivator. It’s what drives us to try again. It’s
what keeps us from sinking under the weight of adversity. Hope keeps us
positive, fuels our joy and helps us reach for our dreams with gusto.
Hope matters. And while many think hope is nothing more than wishful
thinking, Christian hope means confident expectation. It’s believing in the possibility.
It takes hard-won grit and grace to hold on to hope in this world.
Grit, because sometimes we’d rather give up than white-knuckle it.
Aren’t there moments it would just be easier to throw in the towel? And
we need grace for ourselves, because sometimes we don’t walk it out as
well as we’d like. Holding on to hope is just plain hard -- no matter
how you slice it.
But listen in ... if we’re going to live authentic lives -- lives true
to who we were made to be -- then we need to remember hope is already
part of our DNA. Because we’re created in God’s image, hope is already
part of our blueprint. So while it can be challenging to grab onto hope
and hold on, especially when life feels overwhelming, we can absolutely
do it. We must do it. Friend, holding on to hope is part of what makes you, well, you. And it’s a beautiful benefit of being a Jesus-girl.
When I’m sitting in the passenger seat, hope comes alive in me. It’s
why I’ll hand the keys over to my son. It helps me believe we’ll survive
the drive and return home uninjured, so I’ll be able to have my coffee.
Hope helps me have faith in his abilities.
Romans 15:13 shows us hope is a powerful force: “I pray that God,
the source of all hope, will infuse your lives with an abundance of joy
and peace in the midst of your faith so that your hope will overflow
through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
God created hope to intertwine with every part of life, which is why
holding on to it makes all the difference. Letting go of hope is why we
walk out of a hard marriage. It’s why we give up on a wayward child.
Hopelessness is what makes us reject challenging friendships and step
out of frustrating community groups. Losing hope is why we turn our
backs on difficult family members, quit frustrating positions of
leadership and let go of a dream that feels too far off. But God didn’t
create us to be quitters.
We may feel the weight of the battle as we face discouragements in
life. Breakdown moments will come because we are humans with emotions.
But God created you to be a carrier of hope. And that means you can find
the grit and grace to hold onto hope when the diagnosis comes, the
relationship struggles, the finances dry up or you slide into the
passenger seat with your teenager.
Let’s be warriors of hope to the world. Don’t worry. It’s already in you.
Dear God, sometimes
holding on to hope feels too hard. While I know You gave me the ability
to hope, it’s a difficult choice to make when I’m staring at
overwhelming situations. Please ignite hope within me, and strengthen my
bones with faith. I know that with Your help, I can hold on to hope in
the darkest of times. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
TRUTH FOR TODAY:
Psalm 39:7, “And so, Lord, my only hope is in you.” (TLB)
Today's Bible Verse...
Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched?—Proverbs 6:28
Thoughts on Today's Verse...
I
don't know about where you are, but this time of year, it's really hot
in Austin, Texas. You don't have to worry about hot coals; just try the
sidewalk. But this reminder about scorching coals is sure good for me.
We get to feeling so strong inside spiritually, or we get seduced by a
"favorite" temptation, and we decide we can flirt with what is sinful.
But the Holy Spirit reminds us through the Wise Man that when we flirt
with evil, we're eventually going to get burned.
My Prayer...
Almighty God, loving Father, and tender Shepherd, please
forgive me. I confess that sometimes I allow myself to flirt with what
is not wholesome, right, and holy. Thank you for delivering me so often
from my stupidities in this area and bless me with strength and renewed
conviction as I seek to offer myself fully and completely to you and as I
seek to flee what is dangerous and sinful. In Jesus' name. Amen.
The Thoughts and Prayer on Today's Verse are written by Phil Ware.
Today's Verse Illustrated
Aerobic Preaching by Joe McKeever
