Shifting from Hope

Springtime has officially graced us with its presence. The temps are rising, flowers are in full bloom, and allergies are maybe a bit out of control, yes? Something that typically comes along with the long-awaited season of Spring is something that perhaps we don’t so eagerly look forward to.

Spring cleaning.

To be completely honest, I’m not one who typically engages in this activity, but I found myself dabbling a bit in it this past week. In the process of task-oriented activity such as this, it is to be expected that I will get side-tracked, and that is exactly what happened. I had every intention of removing every ounce of dust from my two-story home (a bit ambitious I might add, considering I live in the desert, where dust is just a part of life), when I came across some old sermon notes from years ago. I had no idea I had kept them, but as I began flipping through the pages, I came across a definition of “hope.”

“The feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.”

As I stared at these words written in my own handwriting on the page, I began to think about how often hope seems fleeting. There are certainly times in life when our hope is unwavering and incredibly confident, but as life continues to “happen”, there seems to be an ever-increasing temptation to cling to hope less and less. In fact, there are times when we feel as if we have no hope at all. What then? What happens when we find ourselves shifting from hope?

You choose to remember the Gospel.

“And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, He has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.” Colossians 1:21-23

Sometimes, it requires a look in the review mirror at where you’ve been to restore the hope you need looking forward towards where you’re headed. What I love about this short passage in Colossians is that it reminds us that if we are in Christ, we have been reconciled to God. We, who were once far off because of our sin, have been brought near by the blood of Jesus. Christ’s sacrifice on the cross made a way back to God for you and for me.

And, friends, there simply is no greater reason for hope.

When you find yourself shifting from hope, when the circumstances of your life are less than ideal and the light at the end of the tunnel is growing increasingly dim, remember how God has been so faithful towards you in your past so that you will be able to trust, with unwavering hope, that He will remain faithful in your present and your future.

Because He is the God who reconciles.