May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.    Romans 15:13 HCSB

There are two stories in my newsfeed this morning. One is of a young cheerleader who was paralyzed in a tumbling accident. Another is of a young football player who was upset after being called a racial slur, he was removed from the game for using profanity.

In the young cheerleader’s article the person being interviewed mentions prayer a couple of times. The word praise is used. It would lead one to believe that they have brought this situation to the Lord. They are asking for continued prayer.

In the case of the young football player, it does not mention his race. But, he claims that he was called a racial slur. When he complained to an official, he used profanity while talking with the official, and was removed from the game. This is proof that two wrongs never make a right.

I don’t know any of these people, but just reading the article would lead us to believe that neither of these young football players are Christians or perhaps they are but had a moment of backsliding. That’s not for me to judge, but God knows the answer.

I bring these things up because I heard recently that a game in a neighboring parish had to be cancelled because of gang violence on the streets in the towns of the two opposing teams. Recently we have had games held in our parish where metal detectors had to be used because of threats. In the case of the football player mentioned, a big fight broke out after the game. We are seeing fights at our football games as well.

The young cheerleader has hope. The article said that she was removed from the ventilator and finally able to give her mom a smile. It said that she and her family were eager for her to move to the next phase of her recovery. The doctor said that she may never walk again, but the article implies that she has hope.

We are seeing bullying in school, fights on the street that comes into the football stadiums, racial hatred, and many other problems going on with our youth. The young football player said one thing that is very accurate. He said it starts at home. This is true. The Bible specifically tells parents to train children well. Proverbs 22:6 says to train a child up in the way he should go and when he is old, he shall not depart from it.

My friend, if you do nothing else for your children train them to love the Lord with all their heart, all their soul, and all their mind (Matthew 22:37) and love others as you love yourself (Matthew 22:39). Teach them to be obedient to the Lord. Teach them to obey Him and keep His commandments. In John 14:15, Jesus says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Read the Bible with them, pray with them. They are going to need God’s hedge of protection to make it through this cruel world. They will need it in times when hope seems to be lost.

They need to understand that Jesus is our only hope in this cold, cruel world. Jesus tells us in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except through Me.” Jesus is our only hope.

We all must understand one thing. When the rapture happens, this world will be turned over to the evil forces. If we are not focused on God while He is here with us, how will we focus on Him when He has departed from us? Hell is torturous because of the eternal flame and the heat, but the worst thing about it is the eternal separation from God.

Jesus is our only hope. Without Him, we have nothing, we can do nothing. He tells us in John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me.”

If you are suffering in this world, know there is hope in Jesus. You can turn to Him today. Teach your children to love, obey, and trust in Him so they will be equipped to face the evil forces in this world with confidence.

Our hope in Christ produces joy and peace in our lives. If you find that you or your child are lacking those two things, turn to Christ today.

Have a great day!