Sometimes hope can be used in a trivial way, we hope it will not rain for playtime or we hope that
we will get the present we asked for. At a deeper level, hope serves to keep us going when times
are tough. People hope for peace in time of war; food in time of famine, justice in time of
oppression. Hope creates energy and sustains people through difficult times. True hope is much
more than a general idea that things will get better; it is more than a belief in progress. Christian
hope is grounded in the character of God where it is rooted in love and faith. It is not wishful
thinking but it is trusting in God’s strength. God gives us hope. Hope is not always easy. There is

work to be done. As well as trusting God, we have to develop qualities of determination,

commitment and courage in our own character.
– Hope and keep faith.

Jesus was uncompromising in his command to forgive. He encouraged us to forgive and to keep
on forgiving without limit. When Jesus declared a person’s sins to be forgiven, it often aroused the
anger of those who were less willing to forgive than he was and yet a prayer for the forgiveness
of his persecutors was on Jesus’ lips when he died. We forgive because we are forgiven. The Bible
says “Be compassionate and be kind to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ forgave
you”. Forgiveness cannot be given or received unless it is asked for, and the asking must be
genuine and from the heart. We must understand that forgiveness can be truly liberating for both
the person who is forgiven and for the person who forgives.
– Forgive and ask for forgiveness.

Trust is the very essence of faith, trust in God who is trustworthy. We trust in God to guide us.

God is acknowledged as all true security and strength; we need to place our trust in faith,

family and community and not just in our modern day materials and communications. Trust

is essential to all human life and lies at the heart of all relationships. Trust requires vulnerability,

putting yourself in others hands. Trust is central to a community, to living together in harmony,

so it is to be valued and honoured. When we work with others, we need to be willing to let go

of control and trust in the ability and integrity of others, as Jesus entrusted his ongoing work

to his disciples and ultimately to us.
– Trust and be trusted.

We can think about justice as giving wrongdoers the punishment they deserve; “an eye for an eye,
a tooth for a tooth”. However justice also means giving people what is right and fair to have: life,
health, freedom, love, respect and dignity. The Bible teaches us to deal with everyone fairly and
to never show partiality to one group above another. Throughout the Bible justice is important to
God; “For the Lord is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see his face”. Justice is not about
a community which encourages everyone to only think about themselves; justice is about a
community that knows that everyone’s well-being is bound up with that of everyone else.
– Be fair.

The Bible makes it clear that God is on the side of the humble and against the proud. The words
humility and humanity are directly linked, both born from the word humus meaning ‘Earth’. God
made us from the Earth and in being humble we remember to remain grounded. Jesus washed the
feet of his Disciples at the Last Supper, this turned upside down the normal relationship between
master and disciple, leader and follower. Jesus is very clear about the meaning of his action: “Now
that I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I
have set you an example that you should do as I have done”. Being humble and offering our
service involves sacrifice, putting ourselves out for someone else’s benefit, just as the Good
Samaritan showed us. Being humble is not about being restricted, it’s about becoming truly free.
– Be humble and serve one another.

Resilience is the quality of being able to adapt to life changes and ‘bounce back’ from hardship.
Christians are upheld by God’s power which helps them to be more resilient; “we are pressed on
every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck
down, but not destroyed”, The key to resilience is faith in the Lord; “though he may stumble, he
will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand”. Resilience doesn’t mean that we won’t hurt,
it means that we won’t keep hurting.
Resilience is coping with all that life gives; change, loss, disappointment, failure and setbacks.
Resilience requires courage and wisdom. Our enemy to resilience in the incorrect assumption that
we know how things will end. When a situation seems out of our control and does not appear to
be going the way we want, we can only see disaster in our path. Resilience is knowing that,
however difficult a situation might be, there is always hope and repair, for the Lord will always
direct your path.
-Bounce back.