Hope

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” (Romans 15:13)

In the counseling office, both counselor and counselee have a common goal for each time they meet - hope. The believer’s greatest hope is that someday, all of the hard things of this life will prove nothing “compared to the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18), as we have been reminded of in our current sermon series. But hope can prove elusive during dark days when faith can become fragile. Depression, anxiety, relationship issues, loss, concerns for the future – each of these can test a response of faith. So we turn to what we know – that God is able to give us hope, abounding hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit. This power is a mighty force, the power of God, the same power which raised Jesus from the dead. The hope that this kind of amazing power gives ensures our perseverance - not because we are faithful, but because He is.

When we live as if this life is all there is, we will interpret life that way. We will search for and find our meaning in what happens here. But when we live with eternity in view, circumstances are seen through a different lens. Our faith is vitalized and comes alive. We are able to live one day at a time as we persevere, able to hold onto hope, able to love God and others. Life can be beautiful because we are living each day the way God intended, finding our meaning in what lies ahead for all eternity. This is God’s plan; it is how He has ordained it; its success is assured.

We in the counseling office are here to help point you toward hope. Contact Frank Chihowski (frankc@newcbc.org) to begin that process.