Cheerios and Choosing Hope
 Tiffany Espensen  

When I was a little girl, my mother always knew when I was about to cause a mess. I  would audibly shout “uh-oh” before I chucked my cheerios at the wall. 2020 was also messy. In  the beginning, everything was going smoothly, and then all of a sudden, that audible “uh-oh”  sound came loud and fast!  

While we may be caught off guard when chaos happens, God is never surprised by what  is happening. He can anticipate everything and anything that is going to happen because He is  God! This year made me think more about the parable in Matthew 7 when the Bible talks about a  solid house’s foundation. When the storm comes, the house does not fall because the strong  foundation is Christ. As Christians, we know that wherever our treasures are, that is where our  hearts are focused on. We need to make sure our focus is heavenward, which promises eternal  rewards, unlike the temporary and false rewards of this Earth. This season of life, we have been  forced to evaluate all the things we put our hope in besides Jesus alone.  

“Hope” is defined as the expectancy that something good is going to happen. Heading  into Advent, I can’t help but sing that one line in “O Holy Night” that expresses “the weary world  rejoices.” What a personal declaration that is for all of us! That feeling of exhaustion but then  turning towards that expectation that something, or someone, good is going to come. We know  that “good thing” is in the form of a baby known as Jesus! Jesus came to the world during a dark  and messy time. He offered hope in the midst of a broken world. While things may feel  uncertain, we know that our hope can be in Jesus Christ who is the same today as He was  yesterday and always will be!  

While the world can disappoint us over and over again, we can rest assured that Jesus  Christ never will. Hope isn’t limited to the Christmas season, but it’s something we can 

experience every day if we choose to put our hope in something greater than this world and  ourselves. We know that only good and perfect gifts come from above and God desires to give  His children the very best. “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure…”  Hebrews 6:19 (NIV).