… Hello Hump Day readers. We are enjoying New Mexico and our campground host duties. It’s so much fun and we enjoy the many people who come here every year. On opening day, I don’t know how many people who stopped at the booth to get their tags said “We were hoping you guys would be back again, we just love you both.” And we told them likewise. Of course, they wanted to share things and we listened and we also had several of them who lost friends and family, often saying to us, “we hoped they could live longer but we know that our hope in God is taking care of them.” Those words always bring tears to my eyes.

In our topsy-turvy political sham, a war overseas, the wonder of what is happening to Israel, and so much more one wonders where hope has gone. I get it, there is a lot of concern, fear, and loss of hope. One pastor I admire—Rev. Ben Patterson, has been the campus pastor at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California, since 2001. In these frenzied times, he often sends out uplifting words and short messages on Facebook and other social media places. His first thing is always HOPE! And many times, he says this: “Hope delivers us from the despair that nothing we do matters and enables us to tackle even the most menial job with vigor.” One illustration of hope he shares is from World War ll. Read the story—it’s incredible…

A B-17 bomber flying over Germany during the latter days of the war was hit several times by flak and shells, even taking direct hits on its fuel tank. Miraculously, the bomber did not explode. When it finally landed, several of the crew investigated the unexploded shells lodged in the aircraft’s fuselage. Dismantling the shells, they were amazed to discover that they were empty. That is, except for a note written in Czech, which read, “This is all we can do for you now.” Those men and who knows how many others, owed their lives to a member of the Czech underground, quietly working day after day at an assembly line, hoping their efforts would make a difference. And wow, did it truly make a difference! Over 1,000+ people didn’t die because of the Czech’s efforts and these folks were filled with hope once again.

How about you and me? No doubt it’s easy to get discouraged when we feel like our best years are behind us and what hope is coming next. But the truth is this: We as believers in Christ, should shout out loudly: “My best opportunities are here right now!”

These words from Romans 15:13 [TPT] from the Apostle Paul are just the words we all need to hear and take to heart when our hope seems to be waning: “Now may God, the fountain of hope, fill you to overflowing with uncontainable joy and perfect peace as you trust in him. And may the power of the Holy Spirit continually surround your life with his super-abundance until you radiate with hope!”

Here is another thought from Rev. Ben Patterson that we need to remember when hope sees hard to find: “Dear children, you carry a hope inside you that the God who saved you will never forsake you. You are forever relevant to God and that means what you do right now for God’s Kingdom matters immensely! It’s the hope we have for us and others so we must share hope with anyone, no matter their color, creed, beliefs, etc.”

Sharing hope with others can make a real difference in their lives and your lives as well. God has empowered you to share hope so DO IT! Amen.