Share Your Hope
by Cindy Allen
My dad was diagnosed with leukemia in 1994. He was only 47 years old. I was 24 and pregnant with our first son. It came out of nowhere and rocked our world. God blessed us with 7 more years of ups and downs. It was not an easy road to walk, especially for my parents, BUT GOD.
The last 17 days of my dad’s life he spent in a hospital. Again, God blessed. My dad was able to make decisions about the end of this life, making this path easier for my mom. The weekend before he died, he felt really good. Friends and family were able to visit and say their goodbyes. I always said, “If anyone was able to plan out their final days, my dad seemed to be in control of his.” And if you had known my dad you would not have been surprised that he was in charge! Another blessing that God allowed.
I have a very vivid memory of laying on a cot in his room, facing the wall, and singing over and over, “My hope is built on nothing less that Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but only trust in Jesus’ name. On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking ground.”
We all picked a song to be sung at daddy’s funeral and that was the song I chose. My brother-in-law did the music and he had never sung that particular one at a funeral, but I wanted people to know God was THE hope. He was getting my family through this horrible time, just like he had been there for the last 7 years, and he was available for them.
In 1983 Anne Murray made a country song popular entitled, “Little Good News Today.” The gest of it is nothing good is on the news but she sure wished there would be. If that was true in 1983, it is for sure true in 2025.
I am not going to list all the sadness happening in East Texas, I am sure you have that same sadness in your neck of the woods. Suffice it to say, our world needs Jesus. Just like Jesus was my solid rock in my daddy’s hospital room, he can be the solid rock for everyone in the world, everyone in your church, everyone in your neighborhood, everyone in your family. EVERYONE!
The crazy part, he WANTS to be that for EVERYONE. But as believers we have to embrace our part of the plan. God isn’t going to skywrite about his love or buy commercial time during the Super Bowl. He chose people as the vessel to share his love, to share his hope. God has commissioned each believer to love others and share his love with others. I looked up “commission as used in the Bible” and this is what I found, “a sacred, authoritative mandate given by God or Jesus Christ to an individual or group to fulfill a specific task or mission, often to make His will known to others.” Hello ladies, that is what Jesus did at the end of the gospels. He commissioned us to go into all the world AND proclaim the gospel.
We all have a story of hope (maybe lots of stories). Our world needs to hear that. You don’t have to know lots of scriptures and references; you don’t need a Bible degree. You just need your version of a story where you laid in a hospital room and sang a song over and over that reminded you Jesus is your rock. THAT is what our world needs to hear.
Prayer: Dear Lord, Give me the courage to share you with those around me. Help me to care enough to look into people’s lives and see their need for you, your love, your hope, your salvation. Thank your Father for being my hope and help me to testify of your greatness. In Jesus’ name, Amen
Scripture Reading: Romans 10; Romans 15:8-13; Psalm 107
Response: Go and Tell
