let's bring some hope...because we can

This morning I woke up to crazy headlines...again.
I have been feeling like I should chuck my phone straight out the window
when I read them...
maybe it would make the crazy go away.

Instead, I have taken to reading the Psalms because...BE STILL MY SOUL.
It feels like the world is going straight to Hades...not even in a handbasket....
we are just plummeting like a rock towards the fiery pit.

But the Psalms always bring me back from the edge.
They put everything back into perspective.
The world has always been the world.
Wild. Unpredictable. And broken.

And God has always been God.
Steadfast. Faithful. Powerful.
The Psalms remind me of what is real.

Ones like this....
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High with rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
and
I lift my eyes up to the mountains. Where does my help come from? 
My help comes from the Lord, Maker of heaven and earth.
and
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him and he delivers them.

The thing is...hope will never be found in the headlines.
That is where fear and anger reside...headlines were made to get us whipped up.
They unsettle us and make us doubt the goodness in the world we live in.

But the truth of God's word...his Holy truth...is meant to anchor us with peace.
To still our beating hearts in the midst of the storm.
To lift our heads and get us focused on the One who is TRULY GOOD...and then some.
The One who is in charge and loves us most of all.

That would be Jesus.
The Hope of Heaven.

In the midst of chaos, Jesus always brings hope to the table.
HOPE.
In Him. And Him alone.

The hope of kindness and joy and forgiveness.
The hope of generosity and miracles and peace.
The hope of light in a dark place.
The hope of salvation. For you and me.

And we are like Him. Made in His image.
We are made with the great capacity for hope.
It is tethered to the fact that He has surrounded us with his LOVE.
He is changing us from moment to moment.
In Him we live and move and have our being.
And Jesus is chock full of HOPE.
Hope upon hope upon hope.

And the craziest part of it is - He is leaving it up to us to spread the hope around.
Christ in you....the hope of glory.

Did you even know that?
He doesn't have another plan.
You and me? We are supposed to be getting the job done.

In the midst of our own struggles and craziness,
with families and work and heartache and bills....
we can reach out with....hope. His hope.

We are the hope bringers in a world of headlines.

You reaching out in kindness. Me digging into the richness of  God's love.
You speaking truth and light. Me putting an arm around a frazzled neighbor.

You bringing holiday cookies to your mom friends.
Me sharing a word of encouragement with a co-worker.

You holding up your best friend whose marriage is frayed around the edges
Me reigning in my impulse buying ( Il love you, Christmas tchotchkes)
and giving more to those who need it.

You singing songs about the greatness of the God in your car...in your room...in the shower.
(Keep singing! SINGING BRINGS HOPE!)

Me asking Jesus to please change me...because sometimes I am hard hearted and judge-y.
(Pray with me! Soft hearts are a must when it comes to spreading hope.)

Us becoming more like HIM.
Because that is the only way we can bring hope.

Us letting His love shape our interactions....casting out fear.

Us asking for His will (not our grand ideas, schemes and truly worthy plans) to be done.

Us praying for our people. Our cities. Our world.
And asking Him to let His hope crack the sky...one more time...
ushering in peace and goodwill on this earth...to all people...
because that has been His plan all along.

All along.
A plan of  love. Peace. Healing. Reconciliation. Restoration. Bright joy.

Hope.

LET'S BRING IT.