Contagious

That’s a pretty poignant word these days. Just hearing it brings up images of sickness, fear, and isolation. The very thought of it makes us want to run and hide so we are not somehow infected by it. Well, I saw a sign today that changed my perspective. As I took my morning walk I went a route that often  has sidewalk chalk writings in front of a certain house. I read the words of encouragement as I walk over them. Today’s caught my eye and made me think. It simply said “guess what’s contagious? Hope!” I walked over the concrete and was struck by that thought. Hope is contagious. When one person carries hope, it spreads to others. Hope is not purely a static feeling that we have today. Hope is a movement. It propels us forward. Usually towards something better. I guess if hope is contagious, I want to be infected by it! Completely and totally. I want to carry and spread it to everyone  I meet each day. I want to give it to others and infect them too! 

Hope is contagious, do you have it?

What are you hopeful for? Do you feel hopeful today? How can you “spread” that hope to those around you?

If you need hope, who can you go to that will share their hope with you?

Devotional Moment

Jeremiah 29:11 says “For I know the plans I have for you.” Says the Lord, “ plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

This verse in Jeremiah reminds us that God holds our future, and that He holds our hope as well. The future seems especially uncertain these days. Write down five attributes of God that remind you of his goodness and his love for you. Keep these words in your mind all day and allow them to let your hope grow. Let them also remind you that God is good, and he’s got you! That is where our hope comes from.