Hope

Cornerstone's CEO, Mike Doyle, is the eternal optimist.  I've never met a man with more hope in him.  I'm honestly not sure if he knows how to give up once he sets his course for a goal.  The other day, Mike stuck his head into a meeting just in time to hear me teasing a coworker about their ineptitude at Facebook saying, "There's no hope!"  Mike had no idea what we were talking about, but upon hearing those words come from my mouth, you'd have thought I struck him personally.  His shoulders sagged, his head dropped until his chin was resting on his chest, and he shook his head from side to side slowly as he repeated the words as though he truly couldn't fathom such a statement, "No hope?!?"  It was pitiful!  In that moment, I learned more about my CEO than in the total 4 years I've worked for his organization.  Hope is what fuels him.  And, truthfully, it's what fuels us all.
Earlier this week, I wrote about a truly awful day in my work.  And, I realize now, it was hope that the next day would be better and that the story wouldn't end there that helped me get out of bed the next morning.  Hope is a truly beautiful word.  It empowers us when nothing else can.

So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. 2 Thessalonians 2:15-17