Last week I was speaking at a ladies event on the topic of Hope. Such an important, fragile, personal word. If someone was to ask you now to explain hope to them what would you say?

I still vividly remember 9 years ago walking into church the morning of the 13th of January 2013. The theme for that morning’s message was audacious hope. Little did I know how much I would need that message to land in my heart and carry me into the painful near future. That fateful afternoon Juneldè drowned in our pool. And thus my journey of hope began.

Initially my hope was desperate. As I walked up and down the ER hall I saw a cross with the words Faith Hope Love. Faith on the left, Love to the right and Hope written above. As I looked up at the cross and read the word Hope I realised the importance of its position. Because Hope will always ask of me to keep looking up. Towards Him. Hope becomes fragile and invisible when we look around and looses it’s audacity when we focus on circumstantial evidence to support it.

The Bible is full of verses of hope. Of which Hebrews 11:1 one of my favourites: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” The Cambridge dictionary explains substance as the “most important part of something”. Thus hope is one of the most important parts of our faith. Wow!

I have learned that hope is not always a feeling but always a choice. It is a deeper knowing in spite of. I have learned that hope is not my responsibility alone but a gift from the Spirit within. I have learned to not limit my hope to one area of my life but to be bold in hope. Hope is truly audacious and limitless.

In Jeremiah 29:11 it says: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future”.

I have learned that a very important ingredient of Hope is trust. To trust His plans, His provision, His Love, and the future that He provides.

Trust in Hope always…