Dear Reader,
Hope is a fragile thing.
It can be so easily shattered by hardship and sorrow. Things like retrenchment, loss of a loved one, depression, social isolation due to an unanticipated lockdown, or a loved one diagnosed with a chronic or life-threatening illness.
Life tends to always surprise you with an unforeseen curveball. A blow you never see coming. It sends you reeling with shock, and because these things are often long-term events, you sometimes feel your hope wither away.
But how can you prevent this?
I believe that is why the Bible talks about faith, hope, and love.
It is through faith that you keep your hope strong and alive. As you can see in the Bible:
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Hebrew 11: 1
Hope looks towards the future, to the things we cannot yet see.
What are you hoping for: health, wealth, success? Sure, we often yearn for these things, and it is not necessarily wrong. But hope like that cannot last because material things are fleeting and often eludes us.
But if you put your hope on eternity, you have the assurance through faith, that you will succeed. Through Jesus our Saviour, you will spend eternity with Him.
And only once you have a strong hope, supported by faith, will you be able to genuinely love.
Because when you are assured, through faith, that you will receive the things you hope for, you get rid of your fears. Fears of poverty, disaster, and loneliness.
Only then will you be able to give to others in need, through whatever means required.
How do we receive this assurance?
It only comes from a living relationship with Jesus. Through studying his Word, meditating on His promises, and talking to Him in prayer. It requires dedication and discipline. But it will be worth every minute!
My question to you today: Will you dedicate yourself to this process of building your faith, keeping hope alive so that you can show genuine love?
Thanks for reading,
Susan
Life Letters 