Hope Is Still Alive

Hope is still alive! Yes, I believe that with all my heart as I see it everyday! In the midst of so much controversy, hate, killings, and tragedy hope is still very much alive. True, it seems harder to find and it would seem as there is no longer any hope but in reality it is not hard to see or find at all. The question is, are you looking in the right places? If we look to government for it we may miss it, if we look politics we will miss it, if we look for it in social media we will miss it. So, where do we find it?

For me, as I serve others in Jamaica and as my co-servants serve in over 20 countries with Praying Pelican Missions, we see hope everyday! We see it in the faces of those we serve, minister to, pray with, cry and laugh with. We see it first hand with those that are down, lost and hungry. As we serve and fill some of the needs of those people we see Christ and hope very much alive. We get the awesome opportunity to share love and Christ into so many people who have felt, been told, and begun to beleive there was no longer any hope. Then, as God sends us to them and the ministry teams come to the islands, cities and communities that have been sent by churches, because of love, because of Christ, hope comes alive. People, who felt hopeless are fed, clothed, educated, loved on, prayed with, given free medical care, and given shelter and so much more.

Hope is alive! The world is changing, people are changing, morals and convictions are changing, man's laws are being changed to give people "what they want" to passify their own desires and lives. God is quickly being removed from society, the Word of God is being tossed out as if it were trash. Yes, what seems to be hoplessness is everywhere. But, good, love, compassion and hope is still very much alive and cannot be destroyed if you seek it and embrace it. We, you, can make a difference in a world that is wasting away. We can be the hope that people need. We can still make a differnce in the lives of people. We can share the love of Christ, as we have the love of Christ in us. Don't throw in the towel, don't give up, don't buy the propaganda that the world wants you to buy into.

God's Word tells us that the greatest commandment is to "love God, love others." So, we, as Christians, have the ability and command to love others no matter the situation, no matter what peoples values and morals may be, no matter thier lifestyle, no matter what laws are passed, what social media dictates. We need to hold to the hope that we have in Christ, during the easy and great times as well as the dark and troubling times. This will set us apart, give us strength, give us hope and allow us to finish the race strong, to see people as God sees people, to love others as God loves them and to share the hope for what we believe.

I know for me, hope is very much alive! I am blessed that I can serve others in the capacity in which I do. I am blessed to be part of a God movement so big and strong and that has been alive for thousands of years and protected by God, ordained by God and continued by God. He alone gives me hope. I am a believer, I am a Christian, I make no apologies for what I beleive in, I am not ashamed. I know one day I will come face to face with my creator and I long to hear the words "well done my good and faithful servant." Hope is alive! Are you looking in the right places? Are you aligning and putting yourself in places that you can be the hope to others? Are you allowing God to use you, move you, consume you and build you? If not, you may not see any hope, you may beleive what you read and see in the media.

Hope is alive! Seek it, be it! As scripture teaches us; "Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind..." Trust in God, trust in His word, believe in His promises, be hope!