The Gift of Hope in Engagement
By Dave Pipitone
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You have been given three precious gifts - three strands of life. The first gift is faith. The second strand is hope.
Every relationship has sunny and stormy times. Hope is the gift that provides courage and strength to endure a difficult present and anticipate a better tomorrow. Hope is based on faith and confidence that God in Christ will bring about new life.
Hope waters the bare earth, anticipating the planted bulb will grow into a flower. Hope endures the passing winter and unexpected events that threaten peace and security.
It is an act of hope to imagine what it would be like to have a Christian marriage relationship that lasts a lifetime. As mentioned earlier, in the United States, marriages have a failure rate of over 50%. You can use the virtue of hope to live out your commitment to your fiancé by drawing power from God to strengthen your relationship.
In the third chapter of his letter to the Ephesians, St. Paul writes, "Now to him who is able to accomplish far more than all we ask or imagine, by the power at work within us..."
God has the power to bring about the vision of a lasting marriage of love, joy and happiness. The hope of every Christian relationship is that Jesus is risen and is present as your third partner.
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