I recently read an article by Kelly Williams entitled, “10 Things I Learned About Life as a Christian.” Kelly is a pastor from Colorado who can turn a phrase and grab your attention.

Those ten things that he has learned are worth our consideration. He says unequivocally that pain is a constant and that confusion is a companion and I think he is right on both counts. We spend too much time trying to ignore these unavoidable, realities of life.

Kelly goes on to say that betrayal is a coward (I love that depiction), he says that success is a caboose (it belongs at the end of the train, not at the front) and that faithfulness is a crown (Paul agreed in II Tim. 4:7-8).

I loved that he called peace a caravan (it accompanies us across every desert), and he refers to failure as a chapter. He adds, “Failure is never final when the Father is in the room.” And he finishes his list stating that eternity is the conclusion. Amen to that!

But my favorite part of his list has to do with HOPE. He asserts that HOPE is a coach.

Coaches are so valuable. They take our interests, passions, failures and foibles and mold them into a useful skill. If we listen and apply what they are teaching, we get better the longer we work with a coach.

Consider the current great golfer, Scottie Scheffler. He has been working with his coach, Randy Smith since he was only 7 years old. For 20 some years Randy has instructed, encouraged, challenged and nudged Scottie along. And today he is the best in the world.

Hope can do similar things for our spiritual life.

Consider Paul’s letter to the church in Rome (chapter 15 verse 13): “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

God is the source of our hope and as He fills us with joy and peace, our hope overflows!

Hope instructs a rebellious mind; it encourages a saddened heart; it challenges a defiant spirit and cheerfully nudges us along the path of our life. It speaks to us in the quiet hours of the night.  It reminds us of our Father’s love.

We need to listen to Coach HOPE!