Hey y’all! Welcome to Hope and Be Glad! Hope and Be Glad is a spiritual life and wellness blog based on the Bible verse Romans 12:12: “Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer.” I believe this verse is crucial for Christians to understand, especially during these crazy, unpredictable times we live in, because it makes the very clear distinction that hope in Christ is the source of true joy. It’s a hope that withstands any trial or affliction, a hope fully embraced through a faithful relationship with God built on prayer and love. And if the hope is that great, imagine the joy it must bring!
In the world we live in, it seems like happiness has been hard to come by lately. From COVID-19 to issues of social injustice, it hasn’t seemed like there has been a lot to smile about. And that’s okay. The Bible doesn’t command us to be happy. Happiness is based on our circumstances. It’s a wonderful thing, but it doesn’t last forever. But joy comes from the Lord; joy is everlasting! Why? Because the source of that joy, the hope that we have everlasting life because of the sacrifice of a loving Savior, is never going to go away. Don’t get me wrong, its ok to be upset sometimes. It’s okay to cry out. We just have to remember that we don’t have joy because our lives are perfect. We have joy because we have a Savior who sacrificed Himself to save us from our own imperfections and this imperfect, broken world. We have joy because we don’t have to walk through this life alone. We have joy because one day, when we go Home, we will get to spend eternity with the One who loves us like no one else can.
Because we Hope in the Lord, there is always something to be glad about. So through this blog, we are going to focus on navigating, embracing, and celebrating life with Christ. We will do in-depth studies of the Word to learn more about God, discuss how to live out our Faith as we face world issues, and praise Him as we reflect on His goodness. I hope that together we can grow in our Faith and truly grab hold of the hope and joy we are called to as Christians. I don’t know about y’all, but I’m so pumped to get started!