I didn’t plan it this way, but I’m glad it worked out. It’s the first week of Advent, the time we focus on hope, and Pete Wilson’s book Let Hope In, is an encouraging resource for those of us who find it hard to hope. (Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book from Thomas Nelson through the Booksneeze program in exchange for my review.)
In it Wilson presents four choices he calls life-changing. I was afraid he was going to oversimplify or oversell it, but it’s clear from the beginning that Wilson is not preaching self-help. In fact, he says it’s impossible. The harder we try to change ourselves, overcome our past or rid our life of sin, the less change we actually experience. His encouragement is to seek transformation instead of transferring blame, to accept that we’re not okay, to trust God rather than aim for people pleasing, and to offer freedom instead of hurt to others.
I didn’t know much about Wilson before I picked up his book, but I find his writing style approachable. He shares stories of his family and friends, of his personal struggles with sin and temptation. He doesn’t speak as a preacher from a high pulpit but as a guide on level ground with fellow travelers.
Hope is a tricky thing, hard to grasp sometimes and even harder to maintain a hold on, but Wilson has given it flesh.
Practical. Realistic. Attainable.
Our choices can be the door that lets hope into our lives.