According to Merriam-Webster hope is "to cherish a desire with anticipation: to want something to happen or be true or a desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment". We all hope a family member or friend is doing well, we hope we get a promotion at work, we hope next year will be better, we hope...
Some of the hope we have as a Christian is the anticipations of:
Jesus' Return
meeting Jesus face-to-face
the new heaven and earth
our resurrected body
seeing saved loved ones and meeting our sisters and brothers in Christ
spending eternity with Jesus
Satan's defeat/the last war
Without hope, we would be in despair and never-ending depression. The word hopeless is a heartwrenching word. For someone to be hopeless it means they are sad, sorrowful, and there is no point or meaning to anything. What a horrible and devastating feeling. Sometimes things happen in life where we feel hopeless, we all have moments of sorrow and pain. However, with Jesus we have hope! We know that with Him all things are possible. With Jesus, we are secure, loved, and we have hope for the future.
During the Thanksgiving season, meditate on God's Word regarding hope, consider all the wonderful things to anticipate, not only for our eternal home, but for the present and near future, and make a list of people you can reach out to in order to let them know of the hope that they also can have by trusting in Jesus and putting all their worries, sorrow, grief, shame, and burdens in the hands of the One that loves, cares, fights for, comforts, forgives, and restores them. Spread hope this season! Thank you Jesus for giving us hope and a future!
I would love to hear the hope you have, the hope that God tells you through His Word.