My wife has a hope chest filled with items from her past. Some memories contained in there are joyous, while others are painful and filled with sorrow. However, all those memories helped to make her the person she is today. They have become a part of her very being.

Traditionally, a hope chest contained linens and clothing for a woman’s wedding day. It was a chest filled with the hope for the future. As time goes by, many of our hopes are fulfilled. However, life never goes exactly as planned. Some hopes are dashed by unfortunate circumstances or bad choices we have made.

Our hearts are like hope chests that long for the day when we are joined for eternity with our God. Along the way, our chest may accumulate additional items that we collect on our life’s journey. If we are gracious and generous along the way, our chest will fill with fruit to abundance. If we live more with a focus on ourselves, we will find our hope chests nearly barren. We will, in fact, lose hope. May the hope chest of your heart be overflowing with love that you have freely given and that has come back to you tenfold. May your generosity provide hope for the hopeless, and may your hope always remain strong.

–Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS