Some who read that title will recognize the quote from the popular movie “God’s Not Dead”. Whether you believe in and follow the precepts found in the Bible or not, there are certain lessons taught in the film that can be applied to the everyday life of any individual. The primary take away for me was that of “hope”.
Hope is a fascinating concept. Much more than a mere emotion, hope is the driving force behind our every move. From the time that we rise in the morning to when we lay our head on the pillow at night and everything in between, hope is the subtle nudge that sparks it all.
Just think about that question for a moment: “where do you find your hope?”. This was a query issued in the movie from a member of a band to a woman who had recently been diagnosed with cancer. Her life was falling apart, and she had no one on which to lean when such hard times raged against her. So she coped the only way she knew how: by lashing out against others to garner fuel for her blog. However, instead of being angry at the attack, the band members showered her in love and assurance, and they even challenged her to face the reality of her situation. For how hard her circumstances had certainly become, they were made so much worse by not having her hope in anything but her own body and abilities. When those began to fail her, she found herself flailing aimlessly, without meaning or purpose.
You see, hope is everything! Where you place it will determine your reaction to whatever comes your way. Whether it is the constant toil of a vehicle that just doesn’t seem to be reliable, the daily beration of an angry boss or anything else that might cause a struggle, without having your hope placed in something beyond the immediate situation, you can find yourself just as broken as the woman from the film. So when you think about where you find your hope, I hope (punssss) that it is not in something physical, not even in a person (’cause, let’s face it: even the best of friends can let us down without meaning to do so).
I find my hope in the God of the Bible, and especially in Jesus, and this without shame. To many that is utter foolishness and insanity, but I would challenge that to not place your hope in something eternal is the true meaning of naivety. This is not meant to offend, and if you’ve read any of my other articles or if you follow me on social media, I know that you will find such a statement to be true. Rather than offend, my faith, my hope serves to enhance my daily life, because when something physical fails me I have an anchor in someone that will not fail. This gives me hope even when all logic and reason says I should give up, which in turn has served to calm my attitude and demeanor and grant peace and patience in even the toughest circumstance. As a result, I am better able to be an unwavering and loving support for my family in all things, and that, my friends, is more than enough reason for me to keep my faith, even when society tells me that I should abandon such beliefs.
Copyright © 2018 D.M. Kurtz
D.M. Kurtz 