Hope

It's the 1st day of advent!  Today we focused on hope.  This week we focus on hope.  I am reminded of the many times when I focused on hope not because it was the 1st week of advent but because it was all I had.  Today, it's a much different story.  I am blessed.  My life is good!  I am surrounded by loved ones, I have a roof over my head, food on the table, and am happy with my relationship with God.  I often have to pinch myself to remind myself it's reality that I have 2 jobs I love so much!  

The last few years, I have focused more on advent than ever before.  Since I began working with the youth, I guess, it has become even more important to help them understand the season by living it myself.  So, I make a point of celebrating advent and the weeks significance.  Tonight we talked about hope and I realized something new.  Hope is contagious.  When someone has hope, it gives others hope, too.  I guess I knew that before, but wasn't conscious of it.  Now I look at hope as an even more important thing.  It's not just about me having hope or giving hope to someone else, that 1 person who has hope multiplies that hope by many.  

Tonight, I talked to a girl who has decided to focus on other things besides boys, saying she wants to wait until marriage.  She said she's picky because she wants someone who will treat her right.  That gives me hope.  She said 5 years ago, that was not her plan.  So, I know she has learned and grown in her walk with God.  

So, where was God today?  He is what we look to when we need hope.  He is the one we reach out to. And, He is the one who guides us as He has guided the girl I talked to tonight.

Romans 5: 3Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Blessings,

Jennifer