Hope
Hope. Something I hold onto in the days where I find myself on a terrible carnival ride in my head. I’m not talking about the ferris wheel either… I’m talking about one of those spiny- are we sure this is safe- I think I’m gonna be sick- please tell me this ride is almost over- carnival rides. If you haven’t experienced one of these before, consider yourself blessed, but I think we have all had days where we are panicked and our brains won’t stop spinning.
1 Peter 1:3-7 gives a better description for the carnival ride- see if you can catch it. “Blessed be the God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. You are being guarded by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. You rejoice in this, even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trails so that the proven character of your faith- more valuable than gold which, though perishable, is refined by fire- may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
The grief that we suffer through can look like many different things. Maybe it’s the loss of a family member or friend, a break-up that we never saw coming, a big life change- like moving away for college, or the trauma that we thought we moved past that sneaks back into our brain.
Paul helps us remember to hold onto hope. Look back at the verse above! As believers we are given a living hope- Jesus Christ! By his resurrection from the dead, we have a beautiful inheritance that is kept in heaven just for us. My She Reads Truth bible sheds light on this inheritance and says, “This inheritance of “living hope” is more than wishful thinking. It’s different than hoping our team wins the championship or that the paint color we picked for the kitchen doesn’t dry too dark. Hope is a confident expectation of future blessings based on facts and promises.” We aren’t promised easy lives. We walk through dark times or trials that feel like they will never end, but we are promised an inheritance with a Savior who knows every inch of us, everything we have gone through, everything in our hearts and minds and still claims us. Vs. 8-9 goes on to say, "Though you have not yet seen him, you love him; though not seeing him now, you believe in him, and you rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy, because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
Even in our temporary grief, we can rejoice in our living hope.
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of his glory and grace”
Love you.
Laurel