Spread Hope

Hope. It can’t be seen, but it can be felt. It’s something that people hold on to in their hardest times, and something they share during their most positive moments. But the world has been failing to see the hope around it lately. The negative vibe out in everyday life can be so heavy. We need to be careful on what we watch, what we listen to and who we follow. Everyone on this planet is living and looking for hope.(“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1) We need to remember that people are not God. He knows the future, He knows what is going to happen next and He is the One who will hold you during the darkest nights. You cannot expect something out of another human being that only God can give you. When you try to replace God’s spot with someone or something else- you will always have a void. People let us down. People get information wrong. People are hurting so they are going to turn around and hurt others. God never lets us down, God never hurts us and He is never wrong. If we focus on Him and our relationship with Him, we can be filled with His hope and His love. Then we can stand up and, instead of further adding to the negativity, we can punch the enemy in the face and spread God’s love. When our relationship with God is solid, we can go through heartache and pain and still have hope. His love can be so predominant in our lives that He shines through us even when we are broken. We are not created to be alone in this world. (“For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. 19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of His household,” Ephesians 2:18-19). All of us come from the same Father. If your own flesh and blood is hurting, do you not try to lift them up? God sees us in the same way. He is always trying to lift us up- we are the ones who over look His love. And when His children fight, it breaks His heart. We are to look past our own pain and reach out to our brothers and sisters. We are all related under the Blood of Christ. Your out pouring of love to strangers is pleasing to God. You are loving your family. His family. The love God gives you isn’t meant to be harbored in you and stay there. His love is meant to be given. (“And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.” Colossians 3:14). Whether it’s holding the door for a stranger at the grocery store, paying for someone’s coffee behind you- or even just telling someone they look great while passing them on the street- God’s love is never too big or too small. Sometimes His love is found in the most unusual places and when it is least expected. People are yearning to be loved. Most don’t even know what God’s love looks or feels like. It is unconditional. (“The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3). That means it is given without the expectation of receiving anything in return. As humans, we tend to operate on a give/get scale. That is not God’s scale. He works off of, if you love those around you and take care of them, I will take care of you as well. Don’t get caught in the trap of the enemy, thinking that “Well I have poured my love into this person and they give me nothing back!”. That can happen. You can absolutely put an abundance of love into someone that does not give you love in return. But I can tell you from experience that eventually that person realizes what they had. God’s love is irreplaceable. He sees what you do, and He will reward you. (“It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” 1 Corinthians 13:7). The world tells you not allow anyone to take advantage of you. But, if you have a close relationship with God, and you follow Him the best that you can, wouldn’t that person actually be taking advantage of God? Once I learned this lesson, I was free from that lie the world always puts in front of us. God’s love is unconditional- that means nothing we say or do can earn it. It’s already there for us to receive. That is how we are to be with all the members of His family. If everyone loved each other unconditionally, who would really be in need? (“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.” 1 John 3:1). We need to see hope in this same light. The world, including God’s children, are desperate for faith, hope and love right now. (“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13). We can make a difference. Some people don’t know how to accept God’s love so they may respond in a hurtful way- hurting people hurt other people. There is so much pain throughout our world right now. For some people, that pain is unbearable and they don’t know how to deal with it. People are watching someone they love die right in front of them. People are losing their jobs, their homes, their pets- everything. The world doesn’t need more pain right now, it needs more hope. People need more love, not less. And everyone needs someone to show them the unconditional love that God gives every one of us every single day. Be someone who shines God’s light so bright, that others can see their way out of the darkness they face. (“Let your light shine before men, that. they may see your good works, and. glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16). One spark of hope can have a never ending chain reaction. Hang on, our time is coming. God is watching and He is faithful. His love never ends.

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23