A New Hope

I love God’s people. I love getting to travel to different parts of the country and, at times, the world, and meet brothers and sisters in Christ that I have never met before. It’s a boost to my spirit to know that the team that we are a part of is so much bigger than the congregation that I attend each Sunday. 

This week I have had the distinct privilege to preach a meeting at the New Hope Church of Christ in Lauderdale County, Alabama. It has carried an even greater meaning than most places I have gone to do meetings or youth rallies. The name New Hope carries with it an extra special meaning, especially for Travis and me.

You see, many years before Travis and I were even born our grandparents were touched by the people of the New Hope congregation. My grandparents were somewhat involved with another religious group but, because of proximity, someone, I don’t even know their names, would give my grandparents a ride to New Hope when it would rain. They saw God at work in this congregation and began to fervently study their Bible and compare it to the teachings they had grown up with. As they studied God’s Word in fresh new light they realized that they needed to give their life to the Lord fully and they did so. A new hope at New Hope. 

Evert and Helen Hayes raised eleven children in the Lord and faithfully attended New Hope with each one of them until they were unable to do so. One of those children is Ronald Hayes, my dad. Another of those children is Doris Creasy, Travis’s mom. All of Evert and Helen’s children, including our parents, gave their life to the Lord, and almost all of them are still actively involved in a local church. Many of the grandchildren and great-grandchildren are as well. 

“Ben and Travis” would likely never have been a thing were it not for our parents raising us in the Lord. Our parents may have never raised us in the Lord if it weren’t for their parent’s spiritual influence on them. And our grandparents spiritual influence would have likely not been the same without the New Hope Church reaching out and loving my grandparents. I’m almost certain none of those people knew the lasting impact of their kindness. They didn’t know that a car ride in the rain would begin a lasting legacy of faith that would be handed down from generation to generation. 

I was hungry and you fed me. 

I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. 

I was a stranger and you invited me in. 

I was naked and you clothed me. 

I was sick and you visited me. 

I was in prison and you came to me. 

I needed a ride and you gave it to me.

Your action…regardless of how small it seemed…provided a new hope. And that new hope just might last for generations to come. 

What small act of kindness might you do today that could impact eternity? 

Ben