Posts Tagged: 1 Peter 1:13
“Hope, Grace, and Power Washing the Driveway”
“1 Pet. 1:13 ¶ Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (English Standard Version)
“The very least you can do in your life is figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof.” – Barbara Kingsolver
I suppose that most of us feel hopeless at times. There may be a few people who never do, but I am skeptical about them. Perhaps they aren’t paying sufficient attention.
Sometimes the hopeless feelings come from outside us. When we look at the hydra-headed monsters outside of our heads—war, politics, the environment, the economy, the pandemic du jour—there are plenty of things to feel hopeless about. And then there are our families.
But I don’t have to look around me if I want a fresh batch of hopelessness. No, I sometimes feel hopeless when I look within. Last night, for example, I had nightmares. They were not very realistic, but the symbolism was all too real. I woke up feeling hopeless.
What to do when I feel hopeless? Keep on hoping anyway.
“Set your hope!” says Peter. “There is a grace yet to be revealed when Christ returns!” It sounds as if I am supposed to do the setting. That is probably because I do, in fact, need to do the setting. Christ will do the gracing.
. . .
So, I am finishing writing this post late in the day. The three dots just above this sentence indicate the passing of time. I am going to bed more hopeful than I got out of it this morning. I went to a 12-step meeting this morning, did other recovery work, talked with a friend who called me, graded presentations that my students are turning in, and (with a lot of help from my savvy and patient wife) put together our new power washer. I power washed a bit of driveway. It has been a grace-filled day even if Jesus didn’t return.
There are times when power washing the driveway is an expression of hope and grace.
DOWN TO EARTH BELIEVER
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- “Searching for the Noble One” December 26, 2023My wife and I were reading Luke, chapter 2 on Christmas Day. Luke 2 talks about the shepherds being told to look for this very special child—in fact, this King—in a stable. I prefer the word “barn”. I grew up on a farm. I know what a barn is. A stable is entirely too biblical […]
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