Hope for the Hopeless

This is Michael Scott. He used to be the lead character in the sitcom The Office. This year he left the show and I am not sure it's going to survive without him, but that's really not what I want to write about this morning.

Recently I have found myself watching reruns of the show, probably because he's in them and they're funnier with him. Now, this is not an endorsement of the show, so please don't send me any hate mail. The nice thing about television these days is the on/off button. Anyway, it comes on at 11 p.m. and if I am not in the mood to hear more primary drivel, I turn on The Office.

In the episode last night, the warehouse manager was giving the employees a lecture on safety in the warehouse - what they were allowed to operate and what they were not allowed to even touch. Apparently, Michael Scott is a liability in the warehouse and this safety lecture was for his benefit. Scott decided to hold his own safety meeting, insisting the warehouse workers attend and it turned into a "Whose-job-is-more-dangerous" argument. In the office manual, one of the dangers of working in an office setting was depression, so Scott decided to fake a suicide attempt to show how dangerous depression could actually be, and thus win the debate with the warehouse guys.

Okay, long story short - he gathers all the employees in the parking lot and then, from the roof of the office, threatens to jump. Everyone knows that he's faking but they play along. After they call to him not to jump, he calls back - What do I have to live for? At that point, no one can come up with an answer, which causes Michael Scott to start to wonder if his life truly is worth living...the whole exercise backfires on him and depression sets in. Then they really have to talk him down...

Silly, right?

I fell asleep thinking about the truth of that comedy. So many people in this world can't figure out what they have to live for - they're lonely or they're broke or they're in a job they hate or they have no friends. Life is hard and when they realize they are losing the struggle to survive, they conclude they have nothing to survive for, nothing to cause them to keep going.

My friends, we know Jesus and He's all we need. We set our eyes on Him and rest in the fact that He's involved, He's in control, He's working in us, He wants the best for us, He loves us and will never leave us. Those six things are enough to get us out of bed in the morning and live a life that pleases Him.

Fact:

• Christians can be broke

• Christians can lonely

• Christians can hate their jobs

• Christians can find themselves with no friends

Christians can struggle with the same things the world struggles with, but because we have been given spiritual eyes, we look at life differently than the world. Our struggles should not produce hopelessness. Sometimes our struggles are caused from circumstances outside of our control and other times they are consequences of our own sin. We confess what we can own and we trust in God through what we cannot control. All the while, we keep our eyes on Christ and we make choices that would please Him.

So don't live like the world, tossed and thrown about by the winds of difficulty. Choose to have a quiet resolve to keep your eyes on Christ and live a life with meaning. This will be a beacon of hope to those in a dark world and maybe someday one will ask you, What do I have to live for? and you will be able to tell them about your Hope...Jesus.