Hope is beyond the end of our nose

We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.  Romans 14:7-8 (NRSV)

It is easy for us to view our trials from a detailed perspective.  We are the ones who must live each moment and deal with the feelings of frustration, anger, hurt, resentment, and depression.  Sometimes, when we are anxious or in despair, each moment of discomfort can seem like an eternity.  This moment-by-moment perspective is very exhausting.  Hope exists beyond the end of our nose, and if we do not develop a bigger point of view, we will never be able to see the hope.

 

Let us use the scripture above to remind ourselves of the bigger picture.  Our lives belong to the Lord, and our death belongs to the Lord.  This is exactly why Jesus died for us, so we could belong to the Lord, here on earth, and in the afterlife.   If our lives and deaths belong to the Lord, then so do our blessings and our problems.  If we can look beyond the end of our noses, then we can see that God's grace has it all covered.  Every moment, every trial, and every blessing.