My career had become an idol of self worth, my parenting had become a reflection of my independence, my strength had been found in my performance...and it was time to take it off. Eventually, if we live any length of time, we will all come to the end of ourselves. We will realize that we cannot continue on our own.

I laid the backpack down and in what felt like my very own spiritual nakedness I learnt something better. I learnt that there is a supernatural God-man waiting at the well for me too. All I needed to do was go. In the going I was being changed; because there is a humility in recognizing our need for a Savior AND in the receiving I am being made new because it is here at this Well that HIS presence completes me.

So what is this thing called Hope? Well I can start by telling you all the things it is not. 

From experience I know that Hope is not self indulgent. A gift to one self is wonderful but it will not fill the tank with joy.

Hope cannot be worked up, earned, deserved or bought. You see Hope is the purest definition of my best friend who I have found in the suffering and the wrestling and those dry seasons, where I came to the end of myself and saw...

That Hope is found in our Jesus. Jesus is Hope. He walked this earth first so we could see that He understands, that He offers an abundance that this feeble world just can't offer, and when we take off our backpacks and place our Hope in Him we can accept this beautiful invitation to live in His abundant joy right here today.