“We have this hope as an anchor for our lives, safe and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain.” (Hebrews 6:19, HCSB)
Last week, I posted an article about New Years Resolutions and how we should turn them into one-word goals than instant changes. By doing so we will have more results. As a result, today I want to share with you my one-word goal for 2015, which is, “hope.”
The reason I chose hope for 2015 is because it builds on my one-word goal in 2014, which was “grace.” In 2014 I continued on a journey of understanding practical and common grace better than I ever had before. In fact, 2014’s goal really began in November of 2013 when I hit a personal low over Thanksgiving weekend.
The months leading up to this weekend were extremely stressful for me. Some of it was self-induced, some it was not. Either way, the combined pressure of nearly losing my job, being apart of a mentoring process aimed to stretch me, a family conflict, and putting pride in my accomplishments caused me to realize a change was needed. As Tullian Tchividjian writes in his devotional, It is Finished,
“The grace of God always prevails. When we finally come to the end of ourselves, there it will be. There He will be. Just as He will be the next time we come to the end of ourselves, and the time after that, and the time after that.”[1]
The change I needed was resting in God’s grace that He finished on the Cross than in myself, my career, my accomplishments, or even my family. Sure I was saved, but I was not resting in this grace day-to-day. It was not until I came to the “end of myself” that I was able to understand the practical depths of God’s grace. I was able to be reminded that Jesus was enough.
Admittedly, I still have a lot to learn. But a strong foundation was laid in 2014 by reading and applying principles centered on God’s grace. So, I intend to learn and build on that foundation by striving towards being more hopeful.
After all shouldn’t hope be the Christian demeanor? I think so because the redemption received from Jesus Christ alone, who finishes and secures our salvation, should produce nothing short of hope. Therefore, even when it’s tough I plan to strive towards God’s amazing grace to grow hopeful no matter my circumstances.
In closing, remember my aim is to make progress. This means I won’t arrive at being more hopeful overnight or even at the end of 2015. That defeats the one-word approach because the technique is to develop whatever goal is set over the course of a year. So should your definition of hope differ from mine I ask that you grant me the one thing that initiated my wish to be more hopeful; grace. This is where hope began for me and it’s what I’ll need to develop this trait more. In return, I‘ll periodically share steps that I’ve taken, sources of inspiration, and more. As I share my hope-filled thoughts I HOPE it encourages you to start a one-word goal today.
[1]Tchividjian, Tullian; Lannon, Nick (2015-01-01). It Is Finished: 365 Days of Good News (Kindle Locations 389-390). David C. Cook. Kindle Edition.
