Do you miss hugs? Do you miss the warm embrace, a tight hug, of friend or family given in love, liking, sympathy, grief, Hello’s or Good-bye’s?

And what does all this do to the mind-set of hope? . . . to your feelings of hope for the future?

In the past couple of years, the desire for an embrace hasn’t been easy to fulfill. A warm, comforting hug doesn’t always fit “protocol,” but that doesn’t mean it isn’t missed.

Hope is defined as a confident feeling about what will happen in the future.

Dallas Willard wrote, “Hope is joyous anticipation of good that is not yet here or is unseen.”

“Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” ~ Psalm 25:5

“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness” (Desmond Tutu). It is time to focus on what can be and move beyond what has been.

As long as you can hold tight to hope, you have a direction to strive for, and that helps feed the energy to move forward.

When you can begin to find peace and hope within yourself, then you can share it with others . . . even if it isn’t through a hug, it can be through the way you live, the approach you take to others, the example of Christ’s love that shines through your eyes. You can be a guiding light with the Light of Christ by your side.

Talk with God . . .

PAUSE . . . Ask God to help you turn off the “noise” for a bit to allow you to listen to yourself. What do “you” sound like to you?

If you expect someone else to provide your peace and serenity, it will never happen . . . No matter how out of control life may be spiraling around you, the one thing you can control is your relationship with God . . . your walk with Christ.

There is a friend who, because of the circumstances of her life, could be bitter and mad at God, yet she exemplifies living a life filled with hope and peace. She writes, “If you’re really stressed or in a bad place, I think it’s cool to imagine sitting with Jesus, having Him comfort you and let you lay your head on His chest—as if you were a child in your parents’ lap. We are God’s children, and He loves us deeply . . . Rest your head on God  . . . let Him hold you!”

What hope would you like your future to represent?

How would you like others to see you, to see your way of finding peace?

What is God telling you to do, to act upon, to begin seeking serenity with Him?

“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.” ~ Peter 1:3

Rethink & Consider . . .

Refresh your soul and refill your heart by giving yourself a hope list . . . or create a hope jar. Add something, at least every day, and keep hope alive in you. If you can’t think of anything, look around you at the beauty of creation and let God point out what your hope-filled blessing is today . . . like a rainbow after the thunder, lightning, and rain pass by.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,
and I will give you rest.” ~ Matthew 11:28

Find a safe harbor in the arms of the Lord and let hope grow and flourish through knowing Him more.

Imagine . . .

Imagine yourself standing at the foot of the cross. Now imagine standing at the foot of the cross in the picture. Christ’s cross is the cross that creates a bridge for us to easily navigate, leaving sin behind, moving forward to God’s hope-filled embrace.

The cross—Christ’s cross—unifies all. Christ’s cross that held Christ’s sacrifice that represents Christ’s love so that we may all have Christ’s forgiveness. The cross that leads you out of the darkness and into the Light.

Have you thought of Christ’s cross in this way?

Do you see the hope it represents for you? . . . for others?

There is an old hymn, “My Hope is Built” that speaks the words of hope:

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus' name

On Christ the solid rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand

Where are you placing your hope?

Reflect & Pray . . .

Think about this . . . “Change does not come through inspiration nor information, though both are important. Change comes through engagement in relationship” (Dallas Willard).

That thirst-quenching relationship is with God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit. This living relationship provides support, love, and care.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
~ Romans 15:13

Fear never builds a future . . . fear tells you that you will not be able to cope, that you are not good enough, or strong enough . . . but faith tells you that your Father in Heaven knows better . . . and that points to hope for better times ahead.   

“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.” ~ Isaiah 40:31

Prayerfully ask God . . . to help you find your wings to soar, to find the strength to run, and show you how to walk in the Light of Christ.

Look Ahead/In the Moment/Today/Tomorrow . . .

Hope is built on Jesus Christ, God’s Son who gave His life so that all God’s children could be forgiven of their sins in order to have everlasting life with God. That is the most solid foundation possible for anyone to build his or her life upon.

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” ~ Matthew 7:24

Hold onto this image . . .
As you move into the next moment, the next day, and beyond . . . focus on the solid structure of a stone. Find a stone . . . plain or colorful, smooth or rough . . . write a word on it that gives you hope and peace, carry it in your pocket, rub it when you are worried . . . let it remind you that
God is always with you.

On Christ the solid rock I stand. All other ground is sinking sand.

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.” ~ Romans 5:1-2 

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A Focus for Walking the Labyrinth . . .

Remember . . . Keep paying attention to where you are going, what whispers you are hearing from the Holy Spirit, and what lessons God is placing on your heart. Have patience for everything is in God’s time.

“’Wait on the Lord’ is a constant refrain in the Psalms, and it is a necessary word, for God often keeps us waiting. He is not in such a hurry as we are, and it is not His way to give more light on the future than we need for action in the present, or to guide us more than one step at a time. When in doubt, do nothing, but continue to wait on God. When action is needed, light will come” (J.I. Packer, Knowing God).

BELIEVE IN GOD ~ FOLLOW CHRIST ~ LISTEN TO THE HOLY SPIRIT