There I was, digging out the sweaters again, turning up the thermostat, and hoping the weatherman was wrong about snow and ice.
But, I had no right to gripe. That year, some cities ran out of salt for their streets, were "whomped" with storm after storm, and some places even got mountains and mountains of snow.
If you moved to one of those snow-swamped places, it would be easy to say, "It's always going to be winter. This much snow is never going to melt. It's just going to keep coming."
But nope. It won't always be winter. There's hope. And hope has a name - spring. No matter how high the snowdrifts are, how endless the parade of winter storms, spring always comes. And that helps me grasp just what that precious word "hope" is all about.
Hope-less means things can never change. But hope means things you've never been able to change can change because hope has a name. His name is Jesus. He's the One of whom the Bible says in Hebrews 6:19, "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure."
As a follower of Jesus, I can be - for the hope-starved people around me - living proof that He could change what I could never change. Because of Jesus, a parent can change. A husband or wife can change. A family can change. Because of Jesus, a temper can change, a life of depression, or a fear of death. Jesus changes control freaks, chronic worriers, fearful people, and people who have always been defined by their pain.
There's a magnet in us that attracts people to our Jesus. It's not our beliefs, the meetings we go to, the bad things we don't do. It's our hope. The Bible says folks will want to know "the reason for the hope you have" (1 Peter 3:15).
When you meet Jesus, you experience the ultimate makeover miracle: "If anyone is in Christ," the Bible says, "he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17). So we have hope to give! Hope of Jesus changing our dark side, our fears, our relationships, our eternity.
The most powerful tool I have to open a heart to Jesus is my story - my Hope Story. Because what people want to know about Jesus is, "What difference does He make?" Your Hope Story tells about how your stressful times are different because of Jesus – and your lonely times, your sad times, your wounded times. The difference Jesus makes when there's bad news from the doctor, when your family's in chaos, when the one you were counting on walks out the door, or when you stand by the casket of the one you love.
People can argue with your beliefs. They can't argue with your Hope Story. Once you were "blind." Now you "can see." The only explanation is Jesus.
I always want to be looking for natural opportunities to share some part of how my life is different because of Jesus. As you listen to a person's story, the door opens for you to tell your story. And how His story - His dying for you - has changed your story and could change theirs forever. I am, and all my spiritual brothers and sisters are, living proof that it doesn't always have to be winter.
Spring comes when Jesus comes. And maybe you've never experienced that hope for yourself. Today Jesus stands ready to give you the new beginning that your heart is hungry for. I'd love to introduce you to Him and help you know how to get started with Him. If you'd like to learn more about how to get started with Jesus, I encourage you to head to ANewStory.com. It's time for spring.