This year’s word is HOPE.

A friend recommended a book her weekly study group is going through.  The Hope Quotient, by Ray Johnston.  I jumped all over it!  Already a quarter of the way through the book and I find it hard to put it down…

This quote, found early on in the book, seriously slapped me in the face… you know, if quotes could do such a thing.

This is exactly why this word, this sentiment of HOPE, is so important!

There is so much tragedy in this world… martyrs, discrimination, people being murdered for their religious beliefs, terrorist attacks, families falling apart, people being treated inhumanely (emotionally or physically), people shaming other people, people allowing their sinful nature to get the best of them and treating others poorly… it is constant.

We are in a constant battle…

And a large majority of this world’s population just shakes their heads and wonders why these horrendous events are allowed to happen… why would God allow such things to happen?

In times of disappointment we lose hope.

And that is challenge for this year.

Nothing is hopeless.  No one.  No thing.  God’s got this.