Hope is a gift from God.
I recently saw the movie, “Hope Floats.” I’ve always loved that movie, because I’m a sucker for a story where someone gets knocked down through no fault of their own and not only picks themselves back up, but discovers or rediscovers who they were truly meant to be.
Hasn’t that happened to all of us? At one time or another, we get knocked flat. It can be anything from a sudden job loss to the loss of a spouse through death or divorce, to an unexpected health diagnosis. Where do we go from there? Do we stay on the ground or do we get up and stand?
At the end of the movie, Sandra Bullock has an awesome line. “Mama always said, beginnings are scary; endings are usually sad, but it’s the middle that counts the most. Try to remember that when you find yourself at a new beginning. Just give hope a chance to float up and it will too…”
It’s not surprising that these wise words would come from a mama. Mama’s are notoriously wise. What is hope exactly? I’m not talking about a wish type of hope. We can say things like “I hope I win the lottery.” That’s really just a shallow wish. True hope, Biblical hope, God-given hope, runs much deeper.
Hope in the Bible is an indication of certainty. Having hope means you have a strong and confident expectation. A Google search shows that the word hope appears in the NIV version of the Bible 174 times. That tells me that hope is an important concept to God. Therefore, it should be an important concept to us.
Maybe it’s so important because it’s tied so closely to faith. Hebrews 11:1 tells us that, “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.” and Corinthians 13:13 tells us, “Three things will last forever-faith, hope and love-and the greatest of these is love.”
Hope is one of those things that’s never-ending, so we should never give up hope. It’s tied in with faith and it’s tied in with God’s love for us through Jesus.
So, why do I love a movie about hope? It’s because it’s my story. It’s your story. Hope is a precious commodity given freely to us from God. We must cherish it and bask in it. And from time-to-time when we lose it, we should seek reminders from Him and from the Bible. We can also seek it from other believers. He will renew our hope if we ask.
We should also try to remember to share it with others who seem to be running short. That’s the love part of it. It all ties in.
If you are running low on hope today, reach out for it. Seek it. If you have plenty, be sure to share, remembering that we all are a piece in God’s huge puzzle and every part counts. What are your thoughts on hope? I’d love to hear from you.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂