Hope.

"The truth is, this world confuses me- the tragedy, the confusion, the disaster..."

This is a quote I heard on the show Criminal Minds. The speaker was referring to the pain he was experiencing at the loss of a friend who was murdered. There is death and hurt and sorrow and pain in this world. But, there is a deep sadness in that statement. The statement is hopeless.

It is true that there is tragedy and confusion and disaster in this world, but it is not hopeless. This world is a mess. We are living in an ugly, hurting world that is broken. The thing is though, that it doesn't confuse me. I know that it is not the way it was originally designed to be. I know that sin has ripped apart the perfect world that God created. Romans 8:18-27 talks about the future glory that is our hope. It is what we believers cling to. This is what separates us from those who have no hope. The ending is the redemption. The ending is being united with our Savior. The ending is no more hurt or pain or sorrow (Revelation 21:4).

How much different should we live with this as our hope? How do we live in a culture that does not share this hope? The hope that I cling to will invade every part of my life. The thing is that I don't have it all figured out. I know that it should transform my life and the way that I live. I know that because I am His, life will look different.

How does this effect my day?
How does this change the way I read a book or watch TV?
Will this effect my writing?
Does it impact my career?
Does this play a part in politics?
When does it become real? Does it just click one day?

I don't have all the answers, and I won't ever pretend to. But I know what I know because of the Bible. As far as my life... well, that's a bigger challenge. I believe that each of us was created in a beautiful and unique way to bring glory to God, and therefore each of us walks a different road. The journey may be long for some. It may be mountainous for others. It may be a lovely beach walk for others. Yet, we press on because we cling to that hope.