Hope

This past Sunday was the first Sunday of Advent, traditionally the Hope Sunday. I have been feeling pretty hopeLESS lately. Aside from being very overwhelmed by all that I have to do, I have a dear friend who is dying before my eyes. But as I've pondered Advent, I realize that it for just this hopelessness, that Jesus came to our earth. I went to the Creation museum in last week with my family. One of things that struck me as we looked at the exhibits is that the results of the first sin are the causes of hopelessness-illness, death, destruction. Jesus came to deliver us from sin and its resulting hopelessness. We can have hope in Him. I'm so thankful that I can see and feel that hope in the actions of people around me-my spouse who sees my pain and does all he can to help me, my Pastor who prays the prayers for me that I can not even form the words to say, my employees who sacrifice so I can spend time with my friend, and my friends who remind me they are praying for her and for me. I'm especially thankful for the Blessed Hope I have in Him that this world is not all there is.