Partners in Hope

Doing the right thing may make life more challenging and inconvenient in the moment but, as we take the long-term view in this new life we are building, we will find that doing what is right has far more lasting benefits than we could ever have imagined.

Too many people think that all the fun gets left behind when we are no longer going to bars and parties where substances are used and abused. What many of us have discovered is that there is much more enjoyment in the fun times of life when we experience them sober rather than when we were “under the influence.”

Jesus wants us to experience the joy of knowing that we are valued and that we belong.

In the long version of the Serenity Prayer we find these words: Trusting that You will make all things right as I surrender to Your will so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with You forever in the next. All things right – now that’s a pretty bold hope and a pretty big ask of God, wouldn’t You say?  And yet that’s exactly what God promises us.

We speak about people who are close to us – our family members that we share our daily lives with;  our dearest and most loyal friends with whom we feel like we can share our hearts.  We often describe ourselves as being close to people we feel care about us, who know us, who want to be with us and for us. There’s safety, intimacy, trust, and a real sense of being supported. Well, our God is close to us and invites us to come close to Him.

The Bible tells us that all around us in nature, and particularly the skies, speak to us about God.  When’s the last time we paused, took a look at the sky, and asked God what we had to learn from what we see?