I shared last week that hope is one of my words for 2021. So far, it seems there isn’t a lot of hope being spread this year. In fact, some of the posts I’ve enjoyed seeing on Facebook during the last few days said some variant of this: “I’ve done my 7 day free trial for 2021, and I’d like to cancel my subscription.”

It does seem so far that much of what made 2020 a difficult year for many people has spilled over into this new year, and that’s not really surprising. As much as I like to think of the 1st of January as a new beginning, flipping a page on a calendar doesn’t change much aside from the number we write when we write the date. Life continues and circumstances don’t heed the turning of the page. The tensions in the United States continue to run high, and lives continue to be needlessly lost and impacted. Covid-19 is still causing illness, death, havoc and lockdowns (which may also bring illness and havoc of their own). Some relationships are frayed and tense in the midst of all the craziness of these days.

And yet, despite all of the difficulty that has followed us into 2021, I still feel hope beyond what makes sense. I watch the news of all that’s happening with sadness, but also with an assurance that Jesus has not been knocked off of His throne by any of this. No political outcome, illness, unrest or anything else can dethrone Him, (or separate us from His love for us!) So there is no reason to fear or despair.

Let’s live out of the hope that we are part of an eternal kingdom with a good King. Let’s share that hope with others around us who are bogged down in the despair of present circumstances. And let’s live, to the best of our ability by His grace, in a way that shows others the goodness, love, and humility of our King and brings His kingdom more into our corner of the world as it is in heaven.