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Hope Rises  

When I was a kid, I loved getting helium filled balloons. This usually happened on my birthday, and it fascinated me how the balloon would magically float in the air. My own breath in the balloon never did that, but the mystical helium from the tank would cause the balloon to rise. I asked my parents why this was, and they explained that helium was lighter than air. I didn't understand the chemistry, but I loved the results.  

When it comes from Jesus, hope rises. It is easy to try to substitute something for the hope of God, but while human hot air may inflate the balloon, it will not make it float. There is something irreplaceable and undeniable about the hope of Christ. I have seen so many people walk away from Jesus and His Church, only to settle for a deflated hope.  

Hope that is not based on Jesus (no matter how positive your thinking) is not enough to stay afloat in the torrential storms of life. In the Bible, Paul (who knew plenty of hard times) writes that God's hope does not disappoint (Rom 5:5). Plenty of people have been disappointed by false hopes - for work, relationships, or plans. But God's hope always rises.  

The hope of the Lord is not based on well wishes or inspiring sentiment. In fact, it is forged in the hardest times of life. Paul said that trials develop endurance, which develops our character, and that refined character clings to the secure hope of God. Hope rises. The struggles of life don't deflate God's hope.  

Our world is struggling again with hope. People are seeking substitutes for the hope that only Jesus can give. It isn't working, and so the struggle and hurt grow deeper. What a time to hear again the Easter story!  

Easter is about HOPE. God's hope walks with Jesus into the trials of life, humble yet confident in what God can do with a faithful life. As we move into this holiday of hope, may I offer three ways to get more of God's hope in your heart:

  • Soak in the Story - Jesus loves you and died for you, meaning you have unending worth no matter your feats or failures.
  • Be with God's People - your hope rises when you are surrounded by those filled with the hope of Jesus.
  • Invite others to hope - walking with Jesus is the best antidote to the inner struggles that are strangling people.  

Saint Basil was a Christian pastor and author who lived in the 4th century. He wrote, "The complete human existence is only a tiny interval compared with the endless age our hopes rest in" (letter 140). Heaven's hope is  immeasurably more immense than our time-bound troubles.    

In Christ,     

Scott Nelson 

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