Hope and Its Surprises: 2021 in One Word
Those who know me well, know that I choose a new word at the birth of each year. A word to guide, empower, and challenge me. Twelve months ago, I had been convinced by the Spirit through prayer and study that HOPE - for whatever reason - was to be the word that belonged to me in 2021. Now, you don't argue with God when He shows you your need, but that doesn't mean you don't end up trying to at least once. At the beginning of this past year, the best definition I could raise for the word HOPE seemed to live along the lines of chaotic optimism. It was to me a word that was only spoken by those who closed their eyes to the real possibility of pain, failure and rejection. But the lesson I received was far weightier than this supposedly trite principle. The Gospel instructs us to live in HOPE. Paul tells us in Romans 5 that it "does not put us to shame" (v5). Matthew writes that in the name of Christ "the Gentiles will HOPE" (12:21). In Ephesians 1, we read t...