When Someone Showed Me the Way of Hope
I have a friend who inspires me to be holy through her actions. When I feel distraught or tempted to despair, her response is always prayer, service, and sacrifice.
I once asked her to pray for one of my siblings. Her response was to sleep on the floor for a week as a sacrifice in prayer. It was humbling. Even with many of her own mouths to feed, she is always making meals for other families, keeping a few in the freezer to hand out in an emergency. She offers up pain and leans in with love where others run and flee. She is truly the “sturdy shelter” friend of which Wisdom speaks.
I often think of her and wonder, “How can she do it?”
The answer? It is her hope in Christ and His promises that motivates her to transform her prayer into service. The way we serve and love looks different for each of us, yet the beauty is that we share the same hope! Each of us has a different role in the Body of Christ, the Church—a different way we live out our hope in Christ. When we each love, serve, and pray the way God has called us to, we inspire, motivate, and teach others to live out their own call.
Don’t get stuck so much on the question of, “How am I meant to serve?”
Rather, focus on, “Who can I serve right now?”
It’s Christ in our brothers and our sisters, right in front of us. The answer of how we are meant to serve is simple: it is love. We are meant to serve in love, for Love.
Let Us Pray
Love, help us to have eyes to see the ways in which You are calling us to serve in this present moment. May our hearts overflow with hope in such a way that we are compelled to radical service to others out of great love for You. Amen!
For Discussion
Who in your life has been an example to you of Christian hope? How and why?
Think about the day ahead. What opportunities will organically arise for you to serve others in love in the present moment?
They That Hope: The 2022 Prayer Pledge // Day 4 #BISblog #prayerpledge //Click to tweet
Claire Couche is a wife, etiquette instructor, blogger, homeschooling mother, and registered nurse. She is passionate about sharing content that helps her community live a beautiful and virtuous life. Using her degrees in theology and history, Claire shares about the Catholic faith often on her IG account @findingphilothea and her website, Finding Philothea. You can often find her reading a good book in a beautiful dress! Learn more about Claire and all things etiquette here.
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