Hope is Alive

by Andrea Noles

Hope is Alive…

Isn’t it funny the difference a few days can make?

In Mount Holly, this time last week we were braving the ripples of Hurricane Florence and wondering just how bad things may get. Groceries stores were depleted, generators were purchased, and Brad Panovich was our hope for truth. Yes, I’m a Fanovich!

We just wanted to know what was coming… We wanted to be a prepared people…  we just wanted to know we would be okay.

And here we are, sitting in the first day of fall, with hope that the temperatures will soon match the season.
There is hope for us southern folks…. It’s called November.. but alas we will spread the pumpkin cheer and douse everything in pumpkin spice because we know what’s coming.

This past week I ran across a quote that settled instantly in my spirit. I quickly took a screenshot & shared it out for all the world to see… because doesn’t the Bible call us to share the good news- to be truth tellers, joy bringers, and messengers of hope.

Here’s what it said…

“When the stories about a student are saturated with negativity, have the courage to not join in. Tell a new story of their unique abilities and moments of kindness. Tell the story of hope."

Ahhhhh, that word.
Hope.

On Monday, it started showing up everywhere I looked-- instagram, music, art, scripture.
Then I really started seeing it.
I saw it in the eyes of kids at my school. In the hearts of my colleagues who constantly remind me of what real love looks like. I saw it in my baby who just wanted another wagon ride because he knows the wagon will lead him to the stop sign. And he is simply fascinated with that big red Octagon.

Hope is alive today, dear friends.

If you’ve never read Romans 12, you’re missing out on the most amazing cup of hope in all of scripture. Every word of it is rich in wisdom and truth. Paul appeals to the Romans and basically says… you are not your own, you’re called to be different… to be living sacrifices..to be set apart from the patterns of the world.

He continues on and teaches us about the gifts of grace and marks of a true Christian. He says to have genuine love, to outdo one another in showing honor, to rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, and constant in prayer.  See the hope here. It’s Jesus. It’s all the ways Jesus lived and taught us to live. Paul did us a HUGE favor and poured all the truth in a Romans 12 cup and says, “Drink ye all of this Christian friends, it is good.”

Just like Paul, there is an amazing musical theologian that can string syllables together, add a little music, and give us a Romans 12 hope, all the while encouraging us to move, speak life, and shine our lights bright.

The great, Toby Mac. 

A few days ago I went for a walk and his song, Speak Life, came through my earbuds like a flash of lightning.

Yo it’s crazy, amazing

We can turn our heart through the words we say

Mountains crumble with every syllable

Hope can live or die

Look into the eyes of the broken hearted

Watch them come alive as soon as you speak hope

And then this..

Where does Hope originate? Where does it come from? And how can we keep it? 

This week on Instagram Stories we will be talking about these questions and continue this conversation of hope.

I want a hope that is lasting.  A hope that is not dependent upon circumstance. A hope that goes beyond the thrill of a new outfit, new car, or new anything. 

I want a hope that overflows from the simple gift of Jesus Christ. 

So let’s raise our cup of truth this week and declare ourselves people of Hope.

Let’s promise to position ourselves with an attitude of love and grace. 

Let’s have the courage to tell a better story about a person.

Let’s rid ourselves of resentment and bitterness and love the unloving. 

Let’s be a prepared people and let the world know that everything is going to be okay.

Through storms and sunshine. Darkness and light.

Hope is alive today.