Hope: Where Are We Headed?

Last week, someone sent me a list of the best country song titles ever.  Here you go:       

“Her Teeth Were Stained, But Her Heart Was Pure”

“How Can I Miss You If You Won't Go Away?”

“I Wouldn't Take Her To A Dawg Fight, Cause I'm Afraid She'd Win”

“If My Nose Were Full Of Nickels, I'd Blow It All On You”

“If You Don't Leave Me Alone, I'll Go And Find Someone Else Who Will”

“My Wife Ran Off With My Best Friend, And I Sure Do Miss Him”

“Thank God And Greyhound She's Gone”

“I'm So Miserable Without You It's Like Having You Here”

And my personal favorite…

“You're The Reason Our Kids Are Ugly”

            Do you ever get the feeling your life has become a country song?  That’s why we need hope!  When life gets difficult, the world doesn’t offer us many options: Blame someone else.  Sue someone else.  Complain about your misery.  Or think to yourself, “Well, at least it can’t get any worse.”  But the Gospel offers us hope.  Hope is having something to look forward to, something that will make the tough times worth it.  We’re in a series on hope, studying 1 Corinthians 15.  This Sunday, we'll study vv. 20-28, which talk about what we have to look forward to after this life.   

            A few years ago, my family was on a vacation in the Hill Country, and I was driving us on that section of highway known as The Devil’s Backbone.  It’s really beautiful, and I was thoroughly enjoying the scenery, until I looked at my wife and realized she was turning green.  Carrie has a tendency toward motion sickness, and all those ups and downs of the Devil’s Backbone did her in.  Someone told us later that if Carrie is driving, she won’t get car sick.  The theory goes that if you are driving, your body instinctively knows where you’re going and can anticipate dramatic changes in course.  We don’t know if that’s true or not; I doubt I will ever get Carrie back to the Devil’s Backbone to test it out.  But it makes sense.  And I know it’s true in life: Life is better when you know where you’re going.  This isn’t about being an optimist; it’s not continually saying, “I just believe things are going to get better.”  It’s being certain about where your life is ultimately headed, that no matter how bad things get, you are headed somewhere wonderful.  So what is our hope? Where are we headed?  We'll talk about it Sunday.