Hope

Today’s sermon was all about Hope. Not the kind of hope that the silly, smiling preacher on TV talks about if you will just believe in yourself and have positive thoughts. I am positive that if I think great thoughts about becoming an astronaut, I would still never go into outer space. I am sure that if my positive thoughts were directed to owning a Ferrari, the closest I would get to one would be a Car & Driver magazine. His hope is you continue to buy his "insightful" books and watch his slick TV show... I mean, sermon.

This Hope that I believe in is not based on what we can do or think about. It is solely based on what our Savior has already done and the promise we have because of His compassion. That Hope becomes more apparent this Advent season and continues through Easter. Our pastor said today that his life is based entirely on this Hope. I hadn’t thought about it quite this way until he said it like he did. His (and my) life, the way he leads his family, what he does with his money, how he behaves in public, the way he raises his children, (his education and occupation, too) are all based on his Hope. (I ‘hope’ I got that right, Brooks.)

It is also this Hope that gives me peace in knowing that someday I will again see my dad, my grandparents, and my wife/best friend.

With Christmas around the corner, kids are great inspirations in how to look hopeful. I will try to emulate those exuberant kids and show Hope to those around me. After all, I know Hope and I know the One who is Hope.

Although, maybe all I need to do is to just keep smiling - it seems to work for some people.