Skip to main content

The Amazing Power of Hope

                For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to go to Cape Canaveral, Florida and visit the “Kennedy Space Center”.  Last week, I got my chance. For an entire day, Sara and I wandered around marvelling over rockets, spacesuits and moon rocks.  It was incredible!
                The amazing thing about the space program is that it was built entirely on hope.  When John F. Kennedy made his famous speech stating that the United States was going to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade, America had put a grand total of one astronaut into space.  In fact, that historic flight by Alan Shepherd was not even an orbital mission.  All he did was go up and come back down.  In other words, NASA had no plans, no hardware and no capability to do what the president said they were going to do.  All they had was the hope that they could do it, but that hope made all the difference.          
                In the beginning, the rockets failed more often than they flew, but they looked at one another and said, “We are going to the moon!”   
                As their understanding and ability increased, they looked at one another and said, “We are going to the moon!”
                Even when a series of huge mistakes took the lives of three astronauts on Apollo 1, the hope of going to the moon moved the program forward and, because of that hope, they did not stop until they reached their goal.
                Hope is powerful!  Hope is fuel that keeps us going.  Hope enables us to dream, plan, think and see possibilities even when our circumstances are less than desirable.  Hope is essential for growth, progress and maturity.  When a feeling of hopelessness creeps in, we are done. 
                Knowing this, it should come as no surprise that the Bible says a great deal about hope.  In one instance, Paul says, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe” (Ephesians 1:18-19).  If hope sustains us in earthly things, how much more important is a hope that benefits us not only now, but eternally as well?
                Jesus’ death gives us hope and that hope changes everything.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Art of Noticing.... Seeing what we need to see and what we miss when we don't

 What we focus on in life matters. Here are some scriptural reminders that will help us see correctly.  https://youtu.be/Rn76tV0ZH8s    
Post a Comment
Read more

Consider This.... Which Way Are You Leaning?

   When Ben Patterson agreed to join three friends climbing Mount Lyell, the highest point in Yosemite National Park, he did not realize what he was signing up for.  Early in the day, it became clear that he was completely unprepared for the task.  In an effort to keep up with his more experienced friends, Ben took a shortcut.  It did not occur to him that there might be a reason the others had not selected this route, but he soon found out why.  Ben became stuck on the glacier.  He could not move up, down or sideways and one wrong move would send him sliding down a forty-five-degree slope to the valley floor miles below.   That is when one of his friends came to the rescue. His buddy leaned over the edge and carved some footholds in the ice.  He told Ben to step to the first foothold and immediately swing his other foot to the second, then his buddy would pull him to safety.  Lastly, his friend gave him one more piece of advice....
Post a Comment
Read more

Consider This: The Biggest Problem Is Not Out There!

In a time when everyone has a vocal opinion on everything and judgment is everywhere, maybe we need to reconsider the words of Jesus. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?  How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:3-5).  Here are two observations to consider. First, when we look for what others are doing wrong, we are starting in the wrong place.  “Take the log out of your eye” is the first move.  Start with yourself!  It is easy to judge others and make excuses for ourselves.  Yet, that is completely backwards! If we are honest, we never get past making ourselves better.  There is always more to do.  This, then, leaves very little time to point out...
Post a Comment
Read more