Hopefulness

The news from around the world is very grim.

I don't know who gassed the victims in the Damascus suburb.

I don't know what might happen in Egypt.

I don't know how people might deal with the consequences of terrible choices.

Can we live with hopefulness while at the same time knowing that there is plenty of darkness around?

I think so, and fortunately for me and others, darkness is the context within which the Christian story comes to birth.

'The people who walk in darkness will see a great light.
For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.' (Isaiah 9.2)

Or again, 'Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” (John 8.12)

And because of Jesus brining us the light of life, we can live different sorts of lives. 'The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armour of right living. Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.' Romans 13.12,14)

Living as those who live in the light, while surrounded by plenty of evidence of the darkness in the lives of those around us, means we will stand out as different. That very difference will bring hope to the hopeless and provide the possibility of change for those we encounter. 

My prayer for today is that others will see that, with Jesus, the future can be better than the past, and that the past does not need to dictate how the future happens. That should make hopefulness a reality for all.

Best wishes,

Richard