How Much Hope?

The scriptures tell us in Romans 5:5 that “Hope does not disappoint.” Honestly though, it is hard to quantify something like hope. How do you measure that? 

We gave it a shot at Cornerstone!

Recently we celebrated the graduation of our Faith and Finances class of 2020. During the application process of our program students completed an assessment that identified attitudes and behaviors that would affect their approach to personal finances.

The last section of the assessment was focused on hope.

Prior to the beginning of class only 20% of our students agreed with the statement,

“I have experienced positive change in my life, and I am moving in the right direction for growth and success.”

Only 20%.

At the end of class, the percentage of folks who agreed with that statement grew to 55.6%. 

That is a 35+% growth in hope in 12 weeks.

Did I mention the class took place through Zoom?  I think that is astounding…

Could you use a 35% growth in hope?  I know I could.  

So, what happened in those 12 weeks?  What is the secret sauce in this recipe for change?

Just look back to the passage in Romans 5:5—

Hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit.

The change agent in the passage is the loved of God being poured out through the Holy Spirit.

The conduits for the love of God being “poured out” in Faith and Finances were—

• A Teacher Committed to the Good of the Students

• Weekly Connection in Community

• Loving Accountability

• Courageous Engagement of Difficult Truths

• Tangible, Practical Steps for Change

• Positive Example and Ongoing Encouragement of Allies

• Consistent Prayer Throughout the Process

We have a simple saying we repeat often at Cornerstone… “God did it!”

We know what processes we put in place for Faith and Finances and we work hard to build those, but ultimately only God can bring hope into the lives of His people. 

We stand in gratefulness that God has blessed us with a front row seat where we can witness lives transformed as His hope is being “poured out”!