The Countdown to Hope

The Countdown to Hope

"Why are you cast down, O my inner self? And why should you moan over me and be disquieted within me? Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him, for I shall yet praise Him, Who is the help of my [sad] countenance, and my God." Psalm 43: 5

The holiday season is upon us again and I've fallen into my usual process of getting into the "holiday" spirit. I often sit and watch countless hours of Hallmark movies beginning right after my Halloween movie marathons, and allowing myself to get that overwhelming rush of sappy emotion that is a guarantee when watching any of their films. Now, some would say that this is a silly process merely conjuring up fabricated feelings of "home and holiday" when the reality is...times suck royally! Unemployment is high, people with jobs (including me) are living paycheck to paycheck, the over-commercialization of Christmas has practically taken every modicum of spirituality out of the day/season, and people are generally just hanging on emotionally, spiritually, financially, and mentally and can't get past the haze of gloom and doom that seems to hover like a threatening storm cloud over every area of their lives. So, where do they go from here? Where do we go from here?

At this time of year, countdowns to Christmas begin everywhere you look. There are countdown clocks, displays in stores, endless advertisements on television, radio and now the Internet and cellphones! The greed-infused spirit of capitalism and consumerism wants us all to spend, spend, and spend some more in order to feel better. At least, that's what they want us to believe. They want us to embrace things and stuff and look to it for something, anything to make us FEEL better. Well, I don't want this cycle of misery anymore! I want, I need something better!

So, in this midst of the world's Countdown to Greed, I choose to begin my Countdown to Hope! You see, as a woman of faith, I am compelled to walk by faith and not by sight. So, despite the horrific things I witness each and everyday, I must HOPE! Despite getting disappointed repeatedly by people, I must HOPE! Despite being overlooked and misrepresented, I must HOPE! Even when I am so overwhelmed by everything I do see and I just want to crawl into a hole somewhere and die hoping the pain will go away, I must HOPE! I must hope because I look to the hills where my help comes from, and my help comes from the Lord! I must hope because no matter how bad it may seem, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! I must hope because I am more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus! I must HOPE! I am commanded to HOPE! My hope comes from my Heavenly Father who created me, my Savior, Jesus Christ, for loving me enough to sacrifice Himself for my benefit, and the Holy Spirit who leads and guides me through every valley and even through the messes that I've created. I must HOPE in God because that's where hope comes from!

So, I challenge you today...no matter how bad it is, begin your Countdown to Hope today! It may take you five days before you feel it kick in, or even twenty, but God is faithful and will restore the hope of your salvation and remind you that He has never left you nor forsaken you, and He never will!

God bless you!

Lili