Joy is glad to be together. This is a way we define joy relationally; glad to be together with people and glad to be together with God. Everyone was created to live in meaningful connection with God, and every relationship requires hope.

Joy with God and joy with people are inseparably tied. When you prioritize, value, and practice hope in a relationship, you can experience joy!

The Gospel is relational! Hope is written across the Christmas story and all of God's story. Those who knew and experienced Jesus had a habit of looking back across the story of God and people of God and found this: that nearly everywhere they looked, they saw pictures and promises of HOPE.

How can you stir up hope in Jesus?

By storytelling, discovering, and praying
By investing in a foundation of hope with other people
By expressing the hopes and dreams you have together
By rehearsing the ways your hopes have been realized so far
By inviting God, the source of joy and hope, to be the center of your relationship and build a foundation on Him.

God was and is always up to something. He is always inviting His people to life with Him, giving them hope for what that would mean. Hold onto these two things: that you can hope in God, and that God is glad to be with you. "I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit." - Romans 15:13

5 Ways To Stir Up Hope