Choose Hope...

Here we are in October, with the holidays beginning to come into view.

And I wonder if, sometimes, that makes you weary.

It does me.

I love the holidays. I really do. I love the beauty of them, the traditions, the gathering, the anticipation, all of it.

But sometimes the holidays also remind me of who is missing.

There are people I love who have passed away. There are people I love who are simply too far away to sit around the same table.

And sometimes there are relationships that are complicated. Trust that has been broken. Things that have changed. Things that never quite became what we hoped they would become.

All of that can swirl around inside of us.

And suddenly something that is supposed to feel joyful can feel a little heavy.

A little tender.

A little weary.

But today, I do not want to stay focused on the weariness.

I want to talk about hope.

Because even when life feels heavy, there is still so much ahead of us.

There is still life to live.

There is still joy to discover.

There are still people we have not met yet.

There are still things we have not created yet.

There are still conversations we have not had.

There are still prayers that have not yet been answered in ways we can see.

There are still moments waiting for us that we cannot even imagine yet.

Sometimes we talk about the “best years of our lives” as though they are somewhere behind us.

Maybe high school.

Maybe when our children were little.

Maybe before something changed.

Maybe before someone left.

But what if our greatest days are not behind us at all?

What if the best is still ahead?

As Christians, isn't that part of the hope we carry? Scripture is filled with extraordinary moments...

• The Red Sea parted.
• Lions’ mouths were shut.
• Fire fell from heaven and consumed a soaking-wet altar.
• Jesus was born.
• The cross changed everything.
• The tomb was empty.
• And still, there is more...
• There is still a day ahead when Christ will return.
• There is still eternity.
• There is still the promise that what we see now is not the end of the story.

That changes the way I want to look at my life. I do not want to live constantly staring backward at everything that has already happened. I want to be grateful for what was, yes.

I want to honor the people I have loved.

I want to remember the beautiful things.

I want to grieve what needs to be grieved.

But I also want to look forward.

Because God is still writing.

There is still more story.

And maybe that means I can even stop being so afraid of getting things wrong.

Maybe I can fail and discover how God redeems it.

Maybe I can stumble and discover that He is still there.

Maybe I can walk into something new without knowing exactly how it is going to turn out.

Because I do not know who I am going to meet.

I do not know what I am going to create.

I do not know what conversation will unexpectedly matter to someone.

I do not know what God may do with something that feels small or ordinary today.

And there is something beautiful about that.

There is something exciting about living with open hands and saying,

“God, I do not know what comes next... But You do. And I want to see it.”

So maybe things do feel weary for you right now.

Maybe money is tight.

Maybe a relationship is difficult.

Maybe you are grieving.

Maybe you are tired.

Maybe the approaching holidays are already stirring emotions you were not quite ready to feel.

I will not tell you that those things are small.

They are not.

But I will tell you this:

They are not the whole story.

There is more.

More grace.

More mercy.

More laughter.

More redemption.

More unexpected beauty.

More opportunities to love and be loved.

More moments when God will meet you somewhere you never expected to find Him.

And ultimately, for those of us who belong to Christ, there is a hope that stretches farther than this life itself.

So as we walk with God, maybe we could walk with him in expectation.

Not because everything will be easy.

Not because everything will go according to plan.

But because God will be there.

And if He is there, then there is always reason to hope.

So today, I want to bless us with hope.

Hope for what we can see.

Hope for what we cannot see "yet".

Hope for the places that still feel unfinished.

Hope for the weary parts of our hearts.

And hope for whatever beautiful, strange, difficult, wonderful chapter God is still writing.

The greatest thing may not be behind us at all.

Maybe, in Christ, the greatest is still to come.

And I, for one, cannot wait to see what He does next.

Glory, hallelujah.

Let’s keep walking.