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By: Charlene Evans

It wasn’t until I matured, not got older in age necessarily, that I truly begin to appreciate giving and receiving the gift of hope. Yes, it’s not wrapped up in a fancy box with a bow on top or even something you can put in your hand or physically touch. However, it is an amazing “gift” to give with your words and your acts of kindness which helps encourage us all in very unique ways.

God has a way of using people, yes, us, to exemplify the hope we may need in that moment and for some through a lifetime. We all can go back to a past conversation where something was said that made a light go off in our minds, or recall something that we heard that made us want to do something like perform an act of kindness that was not only pleasing to the Lord but it also gave us the momentum we needed to keep the hope alive. We gave someone hope and in return we received the gift of hope but when we receive it from someone, we found out how truly priceless it is! But with so much going on in the world, many appear to feel hopeless, full of despair with no end in sight….

Hopelessness can mimic what we perceive death to feel like – empty.

So I’m sure some will wonder how can I nurture my hope back to life when it feels like it is dead? There are countless ways but to me, let’s first discuss your relationship with Christ. Well, does it exist? If not, that is the first problem. If we have a relationship with Christ and all of our trust, faith, love and hope are in Him, then why would we feel so hopeless? Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. (Psalm 42:5)

Yes! So our hope is alive in us through Jesus! That’s right, so no Jesus, no nope because Jesus, unlike this world, is our solid rock (2 Samuel 22:2), fortress and deliverer, our strong foundation! We stand on His promise and the truth which is the word of God. The power of the word of God is like a vein in the body, feeding our spiritual man with nourishment to keep us strong through the battles of life! Our mindset begins to change and vacate all forms of hopelessness that tries to subdue our minds creating breeding grounds for sin to reign. So we draw strength from our almighty God who is the great hope! And when we seek Him to sustain us, we begin to become a gift of hope….

….with our words and our actions which together are a beautiful combination!

The act of repetition can be powerful when used for the glory of God. When you repeat the word of God, reciting scriptures in your prayer time and study time, in your conversations and through your ministry, God will manifest Himself in you and through you to reach people. It creates an atmosphere as well for hope to come and saturate any area in your heart that needs healing or in your mind where there seems to be no peace. The gift of hope is always a need but especially during the holiday season which seems to magnify the hurt of a lost one or tragedy that may have taken place throughout this time or during a person’s life.

May I encourage you? God wants us to keep the gift of hope with us at all times. To open it up through our words as we encourage our brothers and sisters in the world when all hope feels like its lost or dead. Our words become life support until the very person we are encouraging can begin to breathe on their own because we need each other so offer up the gift inside of you. No, it’s not wrapped up in a fancy box with a bow on top or even something you can put in your hand or physically touch. However, it is an amazing gift to give with your words and your acts of kindness which helps encourage us all in very unique ways. So, for Christmas, you may not have enough money but you have something better than that…it’s priceless and we all have it if we choose to give it….the gift of hope.

Merry Christmas!