The holidays are a natural time of hope and joy for many, but for others they are times of deep pain and remorse. Cultural wisdom says mitigate your enthusiasm, manage your expectations, and don’t get your hopes up. Jesus seemed to teach the opposite. That doesn’t mean you won’t be let down or disappointed, but rather the greatest weapon we have against living in a state of pain is a state of Hope. So this holiday season, let’s Get our hopes up and then live at the place of our highest hope.