43 Years Ago Today

In my experience...

• Hope does not come from politicians, though it's important to vote.
• Hope does not come from laws, though advocating for change has brought much good and opportunity for many.
• Hope does not come from a bank balance, though I begrudge no one who seeks to improve their means.
• Hope does not come from more knowledge, though wisdom can compound many benefits in life.

So, in my experience, where is true, lasting hope?

43 years ago today, I came face-to-face with the fact that I am completely incapable of running my own life. I was fairly sure God existed, but there was a pretty big disconnect after that.

But 43 years ago, that changed. Coming face-to-face with the reality that I am hopeless on my own was only changed by coming face-to-face with an outrageous offer: forgiveness that covers the past and future, a taste of eternity now despite living in a broken world, and a promise of eternity forever. It's outrageous because it could never be earned. And it was an offer that was finally understood and accepted on this day in 1981.

It seems like nonsense if you haven't experienced it, and it's literally everything once you have.

I spend most of my days helping people maximize their potential, but one thing I'll never be able to do is to help them fill the emptiness that this world inevitably leaves us with.

I'm just as capable of screwing up my own life 43 years later, but this I have seen over and over:

• There is a God who loves His creation and offers answers, hope, and comfort that is beyond wishful thinking.
• I've seen marriages and families transformed.
• I've seen people go through crushing tragedies and come out the other side with hope and peace that can't be formulated in a pill or conjured up by a motivational speech.

It's with great humility and overwhelming thankfulness that I can say with great confidence that 43 years ago today was the day when everything changed. Thank you to my friends and family that have modeled your similar journey so faithfully.

And for those who are skeptical or still wonder what it's all about, I'd love to buy you a coffee.

(P.S. I'm not asked to deliver the sermon at my church often. But this video is from last weekend--near the end, I tell the story of the day 43 years ago)