Hope

Everyone has some sort of hope, I suppose . . . or at least almost everyone looks to something for security. For some it might be a job (i.e., “If I can accomplish this or that, then I’ll feel secure”). For others it might be money, or power, or relationships. When we hope in something, we turn to it for feelings of accomplishment, security, or identity. It gives us something to aim for, some reason to get up in the morning. People who lose hope struggle to function normally. As Christians, though, we turn to something more substantial and lasting. We don’t turn to “treasures on earth,” which are corrupted by moth or rust or are stolen by thieves (Matt. 6:19-21). Instead, God gives us hope of eternity . . . an “inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:4). For us, our jobs or our money don’t define us . . . because our hope–our identity–isn’t tied up in them. We know that we’ve got an inheritance that no one or nothing can take away. This hope, of course, is in Christ. It changes the way we live. It changes the way we face difficulty or disaster. It even changes the way we handle success. We know–because of the empty tomb–that this life is not all there is, and we hope for what Christ has waiting for all who trust in him.