Hope In Front Of Me

If you were to identify one key value for your life, what would it be?

It’s a difficult question as I think most of us have several values which are dear to us, but what if you were to choose your number one?

As part of a book study I have been taking part in with some work colleagues we were asked to identify our top five values.  As if that wasn’t difficult enough the next stage was to rank them in order of importance!  The thinking behind that is that often in situations our values can conflict, so we need to know which one takes precedence over the others.

It was interesting to think about this and to hear others’ responses.  While I found selecting and ranking a top five incredibly difficult, my number one value came to me straight away:

Hope.

If there is one thing I want to leave people with when I interact with them, it is hope.

If there is one thing I want to hold onto myself in the midst of life’s difficulties, it is hope.

But it’s not just an attempt to look on the bright side, to see the glass as half-full, to deny reality and think positively.  It’s a real hope, a living hope, rooted in Jesus and his death and resurrection.

As we approach Easter this week, what better time to reflect on the hope we have because of all Jesus has done for us?

“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, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.”  (1 Peter 1:3-4 NIV)

It is a hope that is solid and secure no matter what we may face.

“This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls.  It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.”  (Hebrews 6:19 NLT)

“Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.”  (Hebrews 10:23 NLT)

As I searched for music to use in a school assembly, I discovered the song “Hope In Front Of Me” by Danny Gokey, and I loved its message:

“There’s hope in front of me;
There’s a light, I still see it.
There’s a hand still holding me,
Even when I don’t believe it.
I might be down but I’m not dead.
There’s better days still up ahead.
Even after all I’ve seen,
There’s hope in front of me.”

Using the words of Paul, I pray that you would know that hope this Easter, whatever circumstances you face:

“I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called- his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.”  (Ephesians 1:18 NLT)

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him.  Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.”  (Romans 15:13 NLT)

And I’d love to know: what is your number one value?