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Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead… 1 Peter 1:3
I love that giddy feeling I get when I'm about to start a new project. I have a pattern I love, fabric that looks perfect and all the tools ready. I set it all out on my work table. I read the pattern over twice more to make sure I understand where I need to start. There's so much anticipation built up to that first cut! So much hopefulness... For me, and probably for you too... most new things come with that giddy feeling... the new year, new house, new job, new baby. All that hope and excitement...
But what happens? After a few cuts, the several hundred squares you need to cut seems like drudgery. A month in, your New Year's resolution is not showing the promise you imagined it would. You've just spent all night consoling a cranky newborn. The excitement dies. The giddy feeling is gone. The hope... where is that?
In 1 Peter, Paul talks about a living hope. A living hope is one that doesn't fade away, disappear, or diminish. It's not a giddy feeling that can be subdued by monotony, lost sleep, or failure. It continues through all those hardships... and grows because of it! It's alive!
Here's the thing... Living hope is not something we can grasp on our own... It's a gift from God given to us through Jesus's resurrection. It's only when we believe in Jesus and his death and resurrection that we are given living hope. Paul calls this a new birth. Before, we were hidden in a dark world of feelings that fade and hope that dies... but through faith we come into a world that is shining bright with a living hope that will never fade even when the darkness is strong.
One of my resolutions last year was to finish many of my ongoing projects...It's through that journey of finishing project after project that I learned (and am still learning) a very valuable lesson. Even when the project is at its most difficult... If I take it one stitch at a time, grasp on to a hope that I will see this project to completion... I will make it through to the end. Grasp on to your faith in Jesus Christ today... hold on to the living hope given to you by God. He will see you through to the end.
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