The Village of Hope, is a great name for the community that gives itself to hosting the atmosphere of heaven.
True Christian hope is supernatural, and it supplies us with a powerful feeling of hopefulness. In First Peter, we read that it is a “living hope”, a hope that is not of this world. In other words, it is a supernatural hope!
Hope is an extraordinary thing. In common terms, it creates ‘up’ feelings! Being in a community that is hopeful is an upper! We are pulled heavenward, instead of into a downward spiral that can be the prevailing ‘norm’ in our often-oppressed world.
Walking into a village of hope is surprising to some.
A lot of folks don’t always expect hope-filled atmospheres any more. Let’s face it, we sort of expect the church to have some hope, but not necessarily to be abounding in hope. We might expect a little buzz at church, but certainly not an epic truck load of glory! However, this is the promise, that we would abound or overflow in a full-on hope that is living and alive. Not a pump you up kind of hope but a true expectation of God’s goodness, born of the Spirit.
Community is God’s answer for hopelessness.
As we come together and learn the power of love, God will show up to bring new hope!
His plan for encouragement involves other people affecting you with their fire. I love this verse in Ecclesiastes:
“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labour: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”(Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)
When one is down, they are pulled back up, by the hope in others!
In this place of togetherness, we rarely experience long term defeat, because our family community prophesies to us: Come on! We can do this!
Psychologists have measuring tools to determine the hope levels of individuals and of whole communities. Psychologist, Charles Snyder, from the university of Kansas, has created a tool for ascertaining whether we are in a place of fullness or depletion with regards to our hope levels.
Synder’s, ‘Hope Scale’ asks twelve telling questions to help determine whether we are full of hope or perhaps in a state of despair. This scale reveals concerns a person may have and point out possible coping mechanisms. This is intriguing research.
There are multiple reasons why hope levels can be low in a community or a person. Naturally, the overall effects of a community must be measured from a long-term point of view, judging how we as a family have processed the storms, the pain and have built foundations for the journey. Naturally everyone has their moments, and some battles really deplete us more than others.
It’s amazing how a little bit of ‘presence’ can change the world! Soon after being in God’s presence, believers start believing again. A good dose of the presence, and we find our hearts are alive again, restored and seeing that there is a way forward and there is a whole lot to look forward to!
Hope is vital to the emotional health of spiritual community.
It is so possible to stay in the overflow of hope when we stay connected to the person of hope, Jesus Christ, the ultimate prophet of hope!
“Now the God of hope fill you with every joy and hope in the sphere of believing, resulting in your super-abounding in the sphere of the hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 The Wuest Translation