A Living Hope

Last updated on: December 19, 2018 at 9:32 am by Kathy Sherwin

A Living Hope 2018-12-19T09:32:06-05:00 Kathy Sherwin

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My friend and I were walking on a warm summer evening, catching up on our lives. She asked me if I have a “living hope” in my heart. My first response was “seriously”? But she pressed me further. “Kathy, I’m serious, I know, as believers, we have the great hope of eternal life with Christ, but what about our daily ‘living hope,’ do you struggle with that, like I do?”

Photo credit Paz Arando / unsplash

What is “living hope” and what does it feel like in our hearts and look like in our lives? John Eldredge defines hope as “the eager expectation that God is bringing good things into our lives.”

My friend and I shared how we often face an internal battle in our thoughts – somewhere between hope and hopelessness. Our internal dialogue can sound like “Why don’t you just quit…. Quit hoping that God’s goodness is coming, quit serving God – it’s not making a difference anyway!”

The battle in our minds is not necessarily an all or nothing equation where we either have zero hope or an abundance of hope. It can sometimes be a sliver of hope that can keep us going. Knowing God is good, even when we’ve been waiting a long time for things to change. Yet sometimes we still wonder if God is really going to come through for us.

Hope in God is intended to be an unbreakable spiritual lifeline to Him and His good intentions towards us. A daily choice of believing God and His goodness above everything else.

Do you struggle to have a daily “living hope?” Are you willing to embrace hope and trust God even when life isn’t going your way?

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 1 Peter 1:3

About Kathy Urbanick

Kathy Urbanick is the Ministry Director of Courage For Life in Marietta, GA. She ministers to at-risk women through the Local Missions Ministry. Kathy also heads up the donor development initiative, where she helps create multiple ways for donors to join and engage with the ministry. You can read more about the author here.

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