Hope is a big part of the childhood of every human being, because every child is born with the hope that someday they will achieve something great and important in their lives. For the girls it’s about being recognized for their beauty or a career in which they can help others. For most boys it’s about becoming a hero, it’s all about the conquest.

Let me define what I mean by hope. Hope is the desire for something to happen but having no guarantee that it will happen. For example, you hope to get the promotion but you’re not sure if it’s going to happen. The problem with hope is that the more time that goes by the more we all become victims of disappointments; It’s the separation of your parents, a failed business, having to leave your country of origin, it could be an illness, maybe even the death of a loved one. The problem is that all of those disappointments slowly destroy your hopes and although you try to keep a positive attitude, deep down inside you know that because of all of the disappointments in your life certain things have become impossible.

For some people living without hope has become the norm. For them things seem to go from bad to worse. So they say things like: It will never get better, life will never be the same, it’s too late for me, I’m tired, I just want to give up. If you’ve ever felt like this take a look the following words by the apostle Peter.

1 Peter 1: 3-4 NIV

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.

In Peter’s first encounter with Jesus he witnessed the miraculous catching of fish, later on Peter would actually walk on water. He was present at the transfiguration of Jesus; he was the one who declared that Jesus was the Son of God. However, when Jesus died on the cross he left perplexed, wondering what had happened. All his hopes were gone in an instant.

Two of the disciples talking about the death of Jesus said: We had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. Luke 24:21 NIV

Their hope died when Jesus was nailed to the cross. But on the third day Jesus rose! And Peter who had lost all hope was now declaring that all hope was alive. Thanks to the resurrection of Jesus everything changed, not only for Peter and the disciples but also for us, because our hope is no longer based on our circumstances, now our hope is based on Jesus who went above and beyond the circumstances of live to give us a living hope.

But wait, the news gets even better for those of us who believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. We can not only have hope but we can also have faith!

Do you know what faith is? Faith is our hope guaranteed through the resurrection of Jesus. I

1 Peter 1:21 NLT

Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory.

It’s SIMPLE, our hope is not supposed to be placed in the circumstances of life, our hope, and now our faith, are placed in God, who raised Jesus from the dead.

Heavenly Father, thank You that through the resurrection of Jesus I can have a living hope, and better yet living faith, that you are who you say you are and you will do what you say you will do. Thanks again Jesus because before I met you my hope was dead and now it’s alive thanks to this great event that changed everything.