Piece #83 - HOPE

I'm not aiming to sound like a typical "Chicken Soup for the Soul" book, but as the end of this year is upon us; I can't think of any better time to address the one thing most people look for in a New Year...Hope. I've spoken on several topics that directly relate to my Asperger's Syndrome and others that simply are observations in my life, but hope is one of those that will tend to cross over between the two areas and I have addressed in other entries. I have written on topics that generally tend to be sad and negative so for someone like me to talk about something more positive and tying with my Asperger's is a little unusual, but I am a human being and I do like to look at life in a way were victory can be obtained rather than simply falling in defeat.

So I guess the first question could be why in the world is a guy with Asperger's writing an entry about hope when most of his stuff is on suffering and death? I think the best answer I can give is that I see the 'endgame' in life. I realize there is always going to be difficulties in this life, but I have the absolute assurance that my afterlife will be completely different. I guess this is why I feel really bad for those who don't believe in anything because without hope in someone, like Jesus, then the outlook would be bleak to say the least. I can see the dark side of life and how the road can lead to self-destruction, but it doesn't have to be that way. 

I think we tend to look at life in a much darker sense. Our books, movies, television shows, video games have seemed to have taken a gloomier turn in the last several years. Since we were born into sin, we seem to gravitate to these murkier things because we find them interesting and exciting. On the same coin, however, all of this darker media tend to end up being destructive and hopeless. I realize they all try to paint a picture of the 'reality' of life and in many ways it is, but hope can always shine through the darkness if you can just see it. 

Hope is light. If you wonder why so many people claim to be a Christian, it's rather simple...they believe Jesus is the light of the world; that He brings hope to the hopeless. As we start this New Year, maybe the best way to begin is to pray: 1. Confess that you are a sinner and you need help. 2. Believe that Jesus actually came to this Earth and died for our sins. 3. Ask Jesus for forgiveness and ask that He can rest in your heart. If you do this in complete surrender then Hope will rest in you. It sounds real simple, but hard to do. If you really want to start a New Year with a new you, then you need to start with a new heart and new life.

Song of Inspiration [Check it out on iTunes or Android!]:

Song: "Here I Am To Worship"

Artist: Michael W. Smith

Album: Worship Again


Here's a great lyric video of the selected song...

HAPPY NEW YEAR....here is Auld Lang Syne