righteous roots.

This week was straight amazing.  The highlight was definitely Nathan asking me if I would be willing to give a talk at our InterVarsity chapter.  I am so nervous...but so honored and excited for this opportunity.  Anyway, it's spring break and I am blessed with the chance to catch up on some reading :)  Tonight I'm reading The Good and Beautiful Community by James Bryan Smith.  He is talking about a hopeful community by using the verse Colossians 1:3-6.  This verse allows us to see that hope is the origin of faith and love; our faith attaches to our hope in a great future through Christ.  Another beautiful point he makes is that hope is not just ours, it is to be shared and "binds us together and increases our love for one another".  Another writer mentions that the Christian community "has its roots in the future and its branches in the present".  I love this 1) because it is an analogy about trees--which I am obsessed with and 2) it is a clear picture of how the Christian life should look.  James also writes "hope is the bridge from the future into the present and the branches of that hope are faith and love".  This paints a picture of how intertwined our hope in God and His provisions carry out into our obedience and love for Him and others.  He states that we should be "genuinely and cheerfully rooted in God's renewal".  Ahh I love it when authors speak such truth.  What really helps me is to be able to process it by writing down the highlights.  I plan on trying to keep my hope rooted in Jesus so His light can shine through me to others.