Well, here we are. The end of the semester is close at hand, and many of us are finally graduating.

I know this isn’t a situation that anyone expected. This “coronavirus” has taken a toll on all of us. Plans have been canceled. Lectures have become virtual. Friendships are harder to maintain.

Depression and Anxiety are inevitable during these trying months. I get it. I’m there with you.

However- let us not forget that there is hope. Let us also not forget that this is NOT a new hope. We’ve had it since the day we filled out our applications to Grove City College. We welcomed it when it touched our souls. And- we’ve let light shine on it in the midst of other dark times in our lives.

My friends, this hope is the ultimate gift given by the most perfect being to ever exist:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” – John 3:16,17

Every time I read this passage, it is as though I’m reading it for the first time. This passage is a reminder of many things. One such thing is that we harbor hope in our hearts of eternal life with God. We can’t allow ourselves to forget that He is with us even in the midst of this gloomy time we are living in. This disease will not separate us from Him.

All of the plans we looked forward to enjoying this year should not have much importance to us in light of knowing what our main purpose is. While we’re on this earth, we must praise Him for the honor he has given us to be alive and enjoy His beautiful creation. We must praise Him for all of the great things He’s blessed us with- a family, a roof over our heads, food, water, and a school that has gone to great lengths to continue providing higher-learning to its students. God has blessed us with so many things we don’t deserve. It’s honestly incredible.

Unfortunately, there is still a problem. We may have this wonderful hope that gives us true life- but there are millions, if not billions, of people outside of our circles who don’t have ANY hope. Without Christ in their lives, they try very hard to fill their emptiness and lost sense of purpose with other things that never satisfy.

Many of them cry out “if God were real, why would he let bad things like this happen?!”

The response? Nothing. Absolutely no reply. No assurance of better times to come. No attempt to persuade. Not even a reactive question that asks “well, have you thought about it *this* way?”

My friends, this is your call to action. We’ve spent many weeks together discussing how our faith must be integrated into every part of our lives. We’ve discussed how to creatively contextualize the hope we have within us in a way that meets the level of understanding that others have. We’ve learned that we can plant seeds in people’s hearts even just by being an example of Christ, both in our daily lives and within our future ventures.

Don’t be an Entrepreneur. Be a Christ-follower with a heart to bring value to others.

Don’t start a business. Lead and Disciple a team.

Don’t lose hope. “Praxis” what you preach.