Where there is hope, there is life.
This month has been the utmost privilege to serve alongside Hopethiopia and its vision to love on the orphaned and widowed. we spent our month in a remote village outside of the major city here in Ethiopia doing life with 17 beautiful kids and engaging with the community there through VBS kids programs, preparation of the children’s village on the compound we stayed on, and land cultivation as well.
it was an incredible month filled with love, constant hugs and kisses from little ones, lots of rain, and immense amounts of joy. With all of this said, I want to share with you something that really rang in my heart this month.
Let’s talk about hope.
You see, without it we have nothing to believe in, nothing to dream about. And really what’s the point in that? Why would we ever want to live where there is no hope? It would be a really dry, barren, and empty place. Like a deep void or pit that you are trying to claw your way out of but to no avail, cannot.
You see when you have even a dollop of hope. A little morsel or sprinkle of it, it changes everything. Hope allows you to wake up each morning knowing that somebody loves you. You may not be loved widely by everyone in the world, but you know that you are loved deeply. That’s what’s beautiful about relationships, about marriage, friendships, and the like. You know and believe that you are going to wake up each day being filled with hope. Even when trials of pain or hurt arise, hope is what keeps your spirits lifted knowing that there is going to be a day where it no longer exists. Where the suffering will subside and there will be no doubt in this life that it wasn’t all worth it.
With hope there is also the feeling of knowing that the love the Father feels for you will also be shared with another. We are never alone. One of my favorite books contains a quote by a really cool guy, Paul, which reads, “and hope does not put us to shame (or disappoint) because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:5)
Hope is a gift, and to deny it would be to deny life completely. Deny the breath that raised our bones to life and continues to do so each and every day.
Hope truly changes everything. It allows children here in Ethiopia to dream of a new life. Of being doctors, teachers, and important leaders in this world. Do I believe they can do it? Absolutely. Why would we ever want to stop a child from dreaming. No matter how young or old we are we should never stop hoping for what’s to come in this life. We have the potential to do any and everything.
“The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor (or afflicted), he has sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.” (Isaiah 61:1-2)
Because of this hope we can live in freedom. Knowing that we are free and don’t have to be held down or held back from anything. We can pursue our dreams and support one another in them. Why laugh at big dreamers? They are the ones that inherit the kingdom. What’s stopping you from risking it all? From bursting your thought bubbles and getting out of bed so that even if you might fail, wouldn’t it be worth it to know that your tried? And don’t let that stop you from trekking on either. Perseverance is key. Just because something doesn’t work out doesn’t mean it is finished. He who began a good work inside of you will carry it on until completion.
I know this is true. I believe it for myself and I also believe it for you.
