Hope Beyond Despair

by Abdiel Medina

Life gets overwhelming and stressful. Sometimes, it might be because you are trying to balance school with extracurricular activities and church attendance. Sometimes, it might be because of your heavy workload from a job. Sometimes, it may be from simply entering a new season of life.

Regardless of what is causing you to feel overburdened, I want to start by stating, you are not alone in your struggles. I am writing this article a few days before starting school at Lee University. Although I am excited, I am honestly overwhelmed—emotionally and mentally—about entering this new season of life.

Everyone experiences times when they are overwhelmed, so you should not feel ashamed when it happens to you. It is also a reminder of how we are in constant need of God’s love and grace. I would like to now offer some Good News for encouragement.

No matter what you are facing, it is nothing compared to the eternal joy and love we are destined to experience if we choose to follow Jesus Christ. Romans 8:18 states, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

Heaven awaits us, my brothers and sisters—it is a future with no suffering or despair! Heaven will be blessed beyond compare, for we shall dwell with God our Father, the source of immeasurable joy, peace, and love. What makes this gift all the more incredible is that Jesus Christ paid the price for it! Romans 6:23 states, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Jesus Christ has secured us an everlasting hope that prevails against all the darkness and troubles we

will ever face on this Earth! So, I challenge you to use this hope as an encouragement to not give up when overburdened, to choose to fix your eyes on God and place your trust in Him.

“And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us,” (Romans 5:5).

Abdiel Medina is a servant of Jesus, an energetic nerd, and a young writer. Abdiel is a freshman at Lee University and is trusting God to guide him on this season of life!