I have seen the words “The Thrill of Hope” singled out on coffee mugs and home decor quite a bit this year, and the words have continued to resonate in my mind.
The word “Hope” brings out different feelings in all of us, especially this time of year.
Many of us have been through storms and challenges in life, which have left us feeling utterly crushed. Maybe for you, it has made you even think there is no way out, and your energy is spent trying. I don’t know if you can relate, but I sure can.
My problem in these moments is that my gut reaction is to lean on my own strength, “Melissa mode,” I call it. Or, I quickly turn to the advice of others or just shut down. This plan only sustains me for a short amount of time. What we really want in those hard moments is lasting peace, sustained strength, and real hope for the future – hope we can count on. What we want is The Thrill of Hope!
One of my favorite passages in the Bible speaks to hope in these moments and where Jesus can be found. A man named Paul is overwhelmed with anguish and consistent pain and pleads with Jesus to remove it. Jesus gives him a simple but powerful, personal response:
“My grace is enough (I am enough); I am all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness.”
In other words, Jesus says, don’t look any farther than me. I am the thrill of Hope you are looking for. Not just for your neighbor or your Christian friend down the street. But I am the HOPE just for you.
The response overwhelms Paul to the point where he says, “My limitations that cut me down to size – abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks… now, I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.”
When we experience the most hopeless of times, and are at our weakest, inviting Jesus into these moments is life-changing. We become less, and He begins to take over. We start to live in His strength and not our own.
Jesus is the Thrill of Hope.
Bob Goff, one of my favorite speakers, recently said, “Over Communicate Hope.” And friends, there is no greater Hope than the fact Jesus came as a baby in a messy manger to a messy world to overcome our weaknesses, hurts, and give us a life full of hope with Him. HLLF – Melissa
