Wordy Wednesday: HOPE

Alright, who's doing Advent at their church???

We are, and we got to light the first candle, the candle of HOPE.   And then our sermon was about hope, as well.

As I was sitting there, taking it all in, I decided to blog about each candle of the advent, and then I'll get back to my regularly planned Wednesday posts as promised.  Sorry for the detour, but if you've read the blog for long or know me at all, it's to be expected.  I have focusing issues, and according to a recent personality test I took, I don't like being "labeled" or fitting into a box. So as soon as I decide something, it's a near impossibility for me to conform to my own standard because I don't want to be predictable or obvious.  My poor, poor children have to live with this, and Doug, but he chose this life, and they didn't!

I know I've written about hope before, it's kind of one of my favorite themes.  Hope or the lack of hope drives our decisions.  How many people have made the worst decisions of their life because they felt they had nothing to hope for? And on the other hand, how many people have continued to keep the faith, in the worst circumstances because they clung to hope.

What are you hoping for today?  A better job?  For things to finally settle down?  For health for you or a family member?  To get a piece of news that could turn things around?

There's nothing wrong with any of those hopes, but when it's all said and done, you have the chance of losing that hope, if it doesn't go the way you'd like it to.  The one and only hope we have, that is solid, is Jesus Christ.  That's what we're celebrating this month, amidst all the hopes we have for spending time with family, getting and giving the best gifts, or eating something fabulous, the REAL hope is HIM.

Today I am thanking God for sending his perfect son, so that we could have hope. Though-out the Old Testament, you see people clinging to the hope of a coming savior.  The birth of Jesus was the realization of that hope.  He had finally come!  The one they had been waiting for, the one they had told their children about.  And he didn't come with fanfare, and many didn't even put the pieces together to realize it had even happened.  A few, like the wise men, and shepherds took time out to acknowledge that our HOPE had arrived.

We have the privilege of laying our hope on one who has ALREADY come.  We're waiting to meet him, to be with him in paradise, but we are able to read, and re-read about his birth, his life on Earth, and the sacrifice he made for us.

Now, consider the fact that many are still unaware of this HOPE.  How are you going to be a part of sharing that with someone, this month, and in the ones to come.  People are searching, desperate for HOPE, and we have it!  Lots of charities are accepting donations to give families a better Christmas, food, and toys.  But the one gift they really need, is Jesus.  And that gift is free.  Let's share him freely with others!