HOPE

This weeks Celebrate Recovery lesson is on hope.  At the beginning of the week Brett asked me the questions, "where do you find hope?"  and "what is your hope in?"  With the main news story this week, being the shootings at an elementary school in CT, hope was a far off concept.  My hope in humanity and our society was waning.  It was a fleeting thought in my already "scattered" mind. (see previous post).

But as I began to listen, and think about, and process news stories, hope began to spring.

The report of the principle and counselor who confronted the shooter.  They gave their lives to try and protect their students and their school.  They stood their posts and went above and beyond.  The story of the young teacher, a girl herself, who had her whole life her whole future ahead.  She sacrificed that, for the hope in the future of her students.

We don't know, but we can hope, that many years down the road some of those students will get the chance to stand before her in a better place, hug her and say "thanks for saving my life".  Thank you, that you not only saved my life, but because of your act of selflessness, I am here today.  Those news stories renewed my hope in humanity.

Then the story of the young Dad, standing before the world, less than 24 hours after his daughter was gunned down at her elementary school.  Standing and sharing about his last moments with his daughter that morning before school, and then saying "my thoughts go out to the family of the shooter".  That is where true hope begins, in forgiveness.  In accepting that God gave me forgiveness for my sins.  That on that cross Jesus died for my sins, along with the sins of that shooter, that he carried them all.

That's where my hope begins, with God's forgiveness; and hope spreads with accepting and giving forgiveness to others.

Job 8:13  The same happens to all who forget God.  The hopes of the godless evaporate.

Where is your HOPE this week?