At birth, my parents had chosen my first name, Andrea and I've been told the doctor who delivered me chose my middle name, Hope. In fact, when I was a small child the same doctor was my family doctor and he quite often called me by my middle name, not the name everyone else calls me.
Over the years, I've thought a lot about my name and what it means. I've often wondered why Dr. Miller chose the name "Hope." I've come to believe God used Dr. Miller to plant a seed in my life. When there is nothing else, there is HOPE!
"It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone." Ephesians 1:11-12 The Message
"We who have run for our very lives to God have every reason to grab the promised hope with both hands and never let go. It’s an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up his permanent post as high priest for us, in the order of Melchizedek" Hebrews 6:18-20 The Message
So, today I cling to "hope" in Christ and I pray this hope is contagious to all those I love.
By HIS mercy and in the grip of HIS grace,
Andrea Bowling Perdue
