HARK!
(PAY ATTENTION, LISTEN INTENTLY)
Ephesians 1:18: "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you,"
Hope. Inspiration. Love. Joy. Kindness. Compassion.
All of these sort of show up this time of year. We feel generous. We want to give. Why is this? I know to many of us this is the one time of the year we really see others, and we really see the need all around us. What gives us that outward looking eyes? What brings tears to our eyes and warmth in our hearts?
Twinkling lights, memories of days gone by. Friends and family gather, some to rejoice, others to fight. Tears of joy, tears of rage and hurt. What happens to us this time of year? What do we want to celebrate? Do we want to celebrate ourselves and those we love? Or do we just want what we cannot have?
The Apostle Paul said he wants us to know the hope we are called to. What is this hope? What are we hoping for? For many years I hoped for a body and emotions that were healthy. I didn't get those until I understood, until my heart was enlightened to THE HOPE. Wandering around, sick and lost, hurting others before they could hurt me seemed to be my destiny. The Hope to which we are called is like none other.
God has given us His Son, the Hope, the Way, the Truth, the Life. God has given us a Hope of new life, a mulligan, a do-over, a new start. To stop. To think. To decide and to bend down. We lay the broken pieces of our lives at the foot of a Savior. The One Who Saves Us stands for us and with us as we meander through what we think of as uncharted territory while all along He has been blazing the trail before us.
To some of us, hope feels very foreign. We have somehow lost the hope we thought we had. To know, to understand, to believe and know that there is a Hope for us that never dies, never wears out, has no expiration date and is not connected to anyone or anything is amazing. God Himself reaching down into our world, to remind us that He loves us more than we can possibly imagine.
Can I hear a shout?? "Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests." (Luke 2:14).
So this is Hope: we have favor with God. He has chosen us to live in Hope: hope of new life now and hope of future life with Him for all eternity. To realize that we are never alone, that God isn't too busy for even the smallest of prayers, and to realize that He really likes us can be life changing. The One who made us, and knows all of our faults and warts wants to hang out with us. That is Hope. That is Truth. That saves our lives.
Merry Christmas!
(PAY ATTENTION, LISTEN INTENTLY)
Ephesians 1:18: "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you,"
Hope. Inspiration. Love. Joy. Kindness. Compassion.
All of these sort of show up this time of year. We feel generous. We want to give. Why is this? I know to many of us this is the one time of the year we really see others, and we really see the need all around us. What gives us that outward looking eyes? What brings tears to our eyes and warmth in our hearts?
Twinkling lights, memories of days gone by. Friends and family gather, some to rejoice, others to fight. Tears of joy, tears of rage and hurt. What happens to us this time of year? What do we want to celebrate? Do we want to celebrate ourselves and those we love? Or do we just want what we cannot have?
The Apostle Paul said he wants us to know the hope we are called to. What is this hope? What are we hoping for? For many years I hoped for a body and emotions that were healthy. I didn't get those until I understood, until my heart was enlightened to THE HOPE. Wandering around, sick and lost, hurting others before they could hurt me seemed to be my destiny. The Hope to which we are called is like none other.
God has given us His Son, the Hope, the Way, the Truth, the Life. God has given us a Hope of new life, a mulligan, a do-over, a new start. To stop. To think. To decide and to bend down. We lay the broken pieces of our lives at the foot of a Savior. The One Who Saves Us stands for us and with us as we meander through what we think of as uncharted territory while all along He has been blazing the trail before us.
To some of us, hope feels very foreign. We have somehow lost the hope we thought we had. To know, to understand, to believe and know that there is a Hope for us that never dies, never wears out, has no expiration date and is not connected to anyone or anything is amazing. God Himself reaching down into our world, to remind us that He loves us more than we can possibly imagine.
Can I hear a shout?? "Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests." (Luke 2:14).
So this is Hope: we have favor with God. He has chosen us to live in Hope: hope of new life now and hope of future life with Him for all eternity. To realize that we are never alone, that God isn't too busy for even the smallest of prayers, and to realize that He really likes us can be life changing. The One who made us, and knows all of our faults and warts wants to hang out with us. That is Hope. That is Truth. That saves our lives.
Merry Christmas!
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