A Living Hope

I saw a picture of an old burned-out mountain shack some time ago. All that remained was the chimney...the charred debris of what had been that family's sole possession. In front of this destroyed home stood an old, grandfatherly-looking man dressed only in his underclothes with a small boy clutching a pair of patched overalls. It was evident that the child was crying. Beneath the picture were the words which the artist felt the old man was speaking to the boy. They were simple words, yet they presented a profound theology and philosophy of life. Those words were, "Hush child, God ain't dead!"

 In this season, we remember Christ's resurrection, but we are also reminded of his suffering. Peter’s first letter calls its readers to a living hope, encouraging them to steward their suffering and orient their lives around future glory.