By Katy Mariotti

Abounding in Hope

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
Romans 15:13 English Standard Version

I have had a heavy week this week. I attended the memorial service for a 14-year-old boy that I knew who very suddenly lost his life. I sang in a concert – normally a concert week is already a bit stressful, with extra rehearsals and preparation, but this concert also had heavy, powerful, and important subject matter. On top of that, many people I know are sick and I am now starting to feel like I’m getting a cold.

The world can be heavy. It’s not something to be ignored or glossed over. Tragedy is heavy. Grief is heavy. Even the little worries of everyday life, when they start to pile up, can feel very heavy. Due to the emotions of this week, I have had cause to hug my own children a little tighter, and really look at them and see them clearly.

One thing that amazes me about my children is the way they both embrace joy and the way they move forward through difficult emotions. Sometimes when they experience something – a friend cheating at a game or being chastised for something they shouldn’t have done – I am so amazed that they feel their emotions, and then they move on. If it were me, those things would sit with me all day, but the negative emotions don’t settle with them.  They live in the moment and have so much trust that everything will be okay that they are able to quickly see joy again. In the picture today (which was taken by my friend that I work with) you can see me singing at church this week, and you can see my son’s feet sticking up over the back of a chair. Can you imagine being so relaxed and in the moment at church that you could lay back in your chair with your feet sticking up in the air?

There are so many Bible verses that talk about joy. Joy is a gift from God and He WANTS us to have it – He sent His son Jesus so that we could experience joy and hope and peace. Life is heavy and feeling those heavy emotions is important. But let us also have the trust of a child that everything will be okay because of the gift of Jesus Christ.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado