Guess what—scientifically and experientially proven—No amount of darkness can keep light from shining through!

Therefore, there is no such thing as a hopeless situation.

We can define many situations as hopeless, such as:

~our marriage on the verge of divorce

~our business on the verge of bankruptcy

~our organization/church on the verge of splitting apart

~our mental health on the verge of a nervous breakdown

~our diagnosis of a “terminal illness”, on the verge of dying

~our relationship with a friend/relative, on the verge of not-speaking

Perhaps you can think of other “hopeless” situations.

But none of them are hopeless.  Why?

First, because they’re all “on the verge”—meaning the bad thing hasn’t happened yet– there’s still a chance of saving any of these!

Second, because even if the disaster does happen, there’s always the chance of starting anew.

–Divorced couples can remarry.

–Businesses can start up again.

–Organizations/churches can come back together, or at least become a multiplication instead of a division if they decide to stay as separate groups.

–Our mental health can be restored

–We and our friend/relative can start speaking to each other again.

–Ok, when we’ve died, we’re dead… to this world… but a better world awaits those who know how to enter it!  Or, don’t forget, the Lord can and has resurrected people, starting with Himself!

Impossible?  Maybe.  A lot of things fit into that category for people.  But not for God.

“…’With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’” (Mat. 19:26)

Jesus told His disciples this when they were discussing salvation and who could get into heaven.  In that time and culture, people believed that blessing occurred in direct correlation to goodness.  The better someone was, the more they “deserved” God’s blessing, including ultimately going to heaven.

Conversely, if someone found themselves in poverty, illness, and affliction, everyone assumed they were being punished for evildoing or evil-being, unless they were born that way.  Then it could be their parents’ (or ancestors’) fault.

So when Jesus’ disciples asked Him “Who then can be saved?” (v.25), they were responding with astonishment to Jesus saying rich people had a very slim chance of getting in.  In other words, “If even the cream of the crop, better people can’t enter heaven, there’s sure no hope for the rest of us!”

Except that with the Lord there’s always hope.  And sometimes we have to reach the naturally impossible and the end of our own strength to realize Who really provides hope.  The impossible-for-us also demonstrates that hope and success aren’t things we generate by our worth or “deservedness”.  If they were, the Lord wouldn’t get the glory as He should.  We would.  Which, sadly, is exactly what we’re naturally prone to seek.

Any new start is, in a sense, a resurrection. Which means that no matter what we may contribute to it, the Lord’s power makes and keeps the hope alive.  It’s the light that dispels the darkness.

In fact, any new start can be a better start, and continuation, if we learn from our failures and mistakes.  Sure, we don’t have total control over any of these “hopeless situations”—others can, and often do, play a part in them.

Their attitudes, words, and actions often contribute to the breakdown in relationships, business, mental health, even our physical health (for ex., second-hand smoke, stress that raises our bad cholesterol, etc.).

But, no matter how big a part others play in our “verge” or complete disaster, we always have something to own up to in it.  Even if we’re only minimally responsible, if at all, we’re always totally response-able!

That is, even if we didn’t get ourselves into this mess, we can get ourselves out of it—by acknowledging our own wrong, committing to necessary change, and following through with it.

Others involved may never own up or change.  The darkness they produce will linger.  But the second we “light a candle”, we remove that darkness.

That light brings perspective, guidance, a change in atmosphere, and the hope that comes with all three.

For those of you who are leaders—light a candle today, and change the atmosphere of your home, your business, your organization, and yourself.  As a leader, the effect of your light goes that much farther, as followers see and copy it.

For all of us, any light we shine today dispels the darkness around us.  Light your candle and watch it work (Mat. 5:16)!