My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less

December 3, 2023
Devotional by: Christie Jones

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ the solid rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground is sinking sand.

This hymn was written by Edward Mote in 1834 with the original title “The Immutable Basis for a Sinner’s Hope”. The refrain refers to the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders and is a metaphor for Christ as a rock with a firm basis in scripture.

Hope is a funny word, used in many familiar phrases – Hope springs eternal . . . I have high hopes for . . . Keep your hopes up . . . Don’t lose hope . . . Hoping against hope. And it changed for me in 1981 when my sister gave birth to her third daughter and had already picked out her name, Hope.

But, Hope didn’t meet expectations - she arrived a few weeks early, weighing less than 5 pounds; one leg was wrapped over a shoulder so it stuck out like a third arm; she was jaundiced and had to wear a mask under lights; and she was diagnosed with Down Syndrome. My sister and her husband had two healthy daughters who were 9 and 7 years old at the time. They had no idea before her birth that Hope would be anything but healthy. She was in and out of the hospital that first year of life and none of us were sure she would live to celebrate her first birthday.

Fast forward to 2023 and Hope is 42 years old, living with her younger sister’s family in Florida. While she’s considered “low functioning”, Hope has lived a very full life. She was included in all of the family activities – being a bridesmaid in one sister’s wedding, going to Disney parks, wading in the ocean, swimming in her sister’s pool. Over Thanksgiving this year, she visited the Georgia Aquarium with two sisters, two nieces, and a nephew.

Having a front-row seat to Hope’s life has taught me so much. Her life is an example of what happens when your expectations aren’t met but the outcome is still really good.

So, this Advent season, I am going to try to make sure my hope is placed in the right place – in the newborn baby born over 2,000 years ago who, by the way, didn’t meet expectations of what a Savior would look like.

“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.“- Romans 15:13