Remember…

“Hope is a muscle. It is something we flex and that is the thing about muscles, if you don’t use them, they atrophy. It is a conviction. It is a statement about who God is.” – Mike Patin

How have you been flexing this muscle?

A couple weeks ago during the Youth Ministry virtual summit, Mike Patin shared 3 ways to flex HOPE: gratitude, connection and remembering. As I listened to him talk about remembering, it gave me hope. It was also a personal invitation for me to talk to others about the hopeful people that God created us to be because of Jesus Christ; a reminder that no matter what, God never abandons us. But we need to have the faith to fuel the hope. We have every reason to have faith! In the bible, there are many accounts of how people before us experienced their realities, “therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith.” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

Jesus is that Hope that we cling to; Jesus is Hope! We cannot get caught up in the noise that is around us because we run the risk of not remembering our who and why. Remember, the God who loves you so much that he sent his only son to die on the cross for you. Remember, Jesus who would do it all over again for you. Remember, the trials and struggles that your family has gone through because they were hopeful of a better future for you. Remember, to flex your muscle to those around you because each of us can become a source of hope for others.

These times have reminded me of the theme from Youth Day this year, 20/20 through God’s Eyes. Our young people were on to something before the pandemic hit! They wanted to share the message that God wants all of us to see each other as he sees us. They remembered to share messages of Hope to everyone regardless of what they were going through. Show others that hope so that they may feel it too. And when you feel your light dimming, do not despair, remember…

“The Lord is my helper,

[and] I will not be afraid.

What can anyone do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6)