Hope is one of life's necessary ingredients. It keeps the flame of optimism burning with the fuel of ambition and anticipation. Hope is the heartbeat of progress as we move forward believing in ourselves. In the context of hope we are able to achieve our greatest potential. It is hope which inspires our dreams and then motivates us to pursue them. Believing that there is something better enables us to endure that which is difficult. Hope will not allow us to get locked into our fears at the expense of our dreams. It is with hopeful yearning that we reach out to attempt the impossible. It is with hopeful obedience that we follow God's will and ways. It is with hopeful commitment that we give of our best to the Master.

Hope is personal, but it is also congregational. It is important that we believe in ourselves, yet it is expedient that we believe in one another. One of the exciting things about church is the realization of what we can do together. The accumulated hope of everyone makes an awesome impact upon our fellowship of faith. The struggles of each individual are absorbed in the group's optimism of grace. Hope gives us a forgiving spirit because we believe in each other's potential for growth. We do not give up on one another nor on the church.

Hope is the eyes of the future. With hope we see beyond the temporary to that which is permanent. We focus our attention on things eternal. The vision of the heart leads us where our natural eyes do not see. Hope is the ears of optimism. We listen for things positive and uplifting. We hear the voice of Jesus "over the tumult of life's restless sea." "Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness." This does not mean, however. we live in a make-believe world. Hope simply stretches our imagination so that we do not settle for anything less than God's perfect will for our lives. We accept our human limitations in the light of heavenly possibilities. Hope means we are not alone in this life. There are divine resources as well as human encouragements for the living of our days. We do well not to lose sight of either.