Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Hope: Anchored in Christ

Sometimes it doesn't make sense to have hope.  Sometimes life's circumstances are overwhelming.  Sometimes there's pain, grief, anxiety, relationship difficulties, self loathing, others loathing, fear, bitterness, anger or a wretched combination of any/all of the above.

When I hear the news of another *someone* in the public eye taking their life, sadly, I am not surprised.  Hopelessness is not a respecter of power or position or celebrity or "success" or status. 


I have been in that pit.  I have felt it would be better to die than to inflict my miserable self on my family or others.  I have been there, because it's part of the human condition.  It's not a disease.

Thankfully, in Christ, we are able to have hope in a world where it often times makes more sense to be hopeless.  Because our hope is not anchored in our circumstances, our feelings, our relationships, or our selves (no matter how much we are told we all have the answers inside ourselves if we can just look inside, accept ourselves and love our selves enough.) Our hope is anchored in Christ alone.  He never changes.  His love for us never waivers.  It never fails.  No matter what is in the deepest, darkest corners of our hearts and minds, He loves us.

If we really take the time to receive that love...to let Him meet us in the depths of our hearts, He gives us all the hope we need.  As we lean on Him and not our own understanding (which is so limited) we learn to trust in the One Who is the Author and Finisher of our faith, even when none of our circumstances change.  We can become thankful not only for His unfailing love, but for our trials, our pain, and anything that comes our way because His love is just that powerful.


We must not relinquish our hope in believing the lie - "There is no hope," but look to Jesus, who is our hope.