Hope That Holds When the World Cannot

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” — Jeremiah 29:11

Hope is supposed to be the simplest thing a person can hold, yet today, nearly 40% of young people say they don’t feel hope at all. They say the world feels too heavy, too broken, too uncertain. And truthfully? If our hope is placed in this world, then they’re right.

But Scripture teaches us something radical… Hope does not come from circumstances. Hope comes from a Person. Hope is Jesus.

This world offers temporary comforts and quick fixes, but it can never offer healing for the soul. Only God can do that. Only God knows the plans He has for us. Only God restores what life breaks, gives purpose where there has been pain, and breathes hope into the places that feel hopeless.

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I know the ache of this deeply.

It’s been almost sixteen years since I received a phone call from my half-brother, Aaron. He was only nineteen. I had met him once, but we had talked over the years... little moments of connection stitched between miles of distance. I live in Montana, he lived in Pennsylvania.

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On that day, he told me he wanted to come live with us. We had a good conversation and my heart was open to it. But later that night, my mom called and told me Aaron had been hanging around a bad crowd… using drugs... 

I had little kids. I started rethinking everything. I didn’t know what to say, how to help, or whether I even could. So when Aaron called me again, I froze. And I didn’t answer. It has haunted me all these years…

A week later, the phone rang again. This time, it was the call that broke my world. Aaron had taken his life. He had reached out to me. And I didn’t pick up the phone.

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Three months later, my other half-brother Darren, who was a few months from graduating high school and had been doing well up until Aaron’s death, took his own life too. He left a note saying he couldn’t live without Aaron.

If only I had answered Aaron’s cry for help. Maybe things would be different. If only, my heart whispered. If only I had answered. If only I could go back. If only there were second chances. Maybe things would be different…

But here is the truth I had to learn through tears and years… God is our second chance. Our only chance. The One who heals the places we cannot reach.The One who gives hope when we have none left.

Aaron and Darren grew up in difficult circumstances. Our mom struggled with health issues and mental illness. Life wasn’t kind to them. And I carried the weight of “What if?” for far too long.

But guilt doesn’t heal. God does. Where shame says, “You failed,” Jesus says, “I redeem.” Where regret says, “It’s too late,” Jesus whispers, “I make all things new.” Where grief says, “There is no hope,” The manger says, “Hope has arrived.”

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Christmas: The Arrival of Hope

Christmas is often called “the most wonderful time of the year,” but for many, it isn’t. It’s a spotlight on what hurts. Empty chairs where loved ones used to sit, broken relationships, financial strain, health battles, memories that ache, loneliness wrapped in twinkling lights.
 

But Christmas was never meant to be perfect, it was meant to be hopeful. Because Christmas is not about presents, parties, or perfection. It's about a Person. A Savior. A Baby in a manger who came to pull us out of darkness and into His marvelous light. Jesus came because we are broken. Because we need healing. Because without Him, hope is impossible.

The birth of Christ is God saying to a hurting world, “I see you. I love you. I am with you. I am your hope.”

Hope Starts at Home

Aaron and Darren’s story reminds me how deeply lives can be shaped by love, or by the absence of it. As parents, grandparents, and guardians, we hold a role that heaven takes seriously: Love your kids fiercely, encourage them constantly, speak life into them. show up every day in big ways and small, nurture their gifts and help them become confident, steady, independent adults. TALK TO YOUR KIDS ABOUT THE LORD AND HIS GRACE AND THE BEAUTIFUL GIFT OF JESUS. Build that foundation so your kids know where their hope lies.
 

And here's the big one: Don’t stop parenting when they turn eighteen. Our kids still need guidance, wisdom, reassurance, and a voice that says, “I’m here. You matter. You’re not alone.”

Hope grows in the soil of love. And God has entrusted us to plant it.

The God of Another Chance

I wish I could go back and answer that phone. I wish I could rewrite that story. But I can’t. What I can do is share this truth: God is still writing your story. God is still restoring what was broken. God is still the God of hope.

Jeremiah 29:11 isn’t a cute verse for gift bags or Christmas cards—it is the heartbeat of God: “I know the plans I have for you… Plans to give you hope and a future.” Not the world’s hope. Not temporary hope. Not fragile, fleeting, or shallow hope. Real hope. Eternal hope. Jesus.

This world will fail us. People will fail us. We will even fail ourselves. But Jesus never will. He is the second chance we long for. Some of us need more than a second chance, sometimes many more, because we continue to fail to get it right. He’s the Savior we desperately need. The Hope we celebrate every Christmas.

And if you’re facing this season with grief, questions, fear, or heartache, remember this: The manger is proof that God steps into the darkest places to bring light that never goes out.

Prayer

Lord, thank You for sending Jesus, our hope, our healing, and our light in the darkness. For every heart walking through loss, regret, or fear this Christmas, wrap them in Your peace. Remind us that You redeem what we cannot fix. Help us love our children well, guide our families, and place our trust not in this world, but in You alone. Amen.