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Psalm 39:7, NLT
“And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you.”

Our world is a very dark place, even in the daylight.

It’s full of broken dreams and bad decisions, but it’s also full of evil and unspeakable sin.

Any time spent reading or watching the news these days can leave us feeling, well, hopeless. If we hope for human solutions to human problems, we’ll always be left unsatisfied.

And yet, God’s Word calls us to hope against all odds.

That message seeped into the darkness of prison life for Laura. Facing the consequences of her own choices, Laura continued a fight she’d been battling her whole life: to be accepted.

“All of my life, I struggled with acceptance,” Laura said. “I felt the need to be liked, the desire to be loved. I lived selfishly, always seeking peace but never finding it.”

She had heard about Jesus her whole life but had never been around women who lived Christ-filled lives.

Then she met Stonecroft women who brought Bible studies into the prison where she was housed.

“I was mentored by women who truly saw me as an heir of Christ, his daughter,” Laura said. “Being around women who didn’t judge me for my past, encouraged me through the hard times, and celebrated the good times with me made me feel included.”

Laura started to experience the peace, love, and acceptance of Jesus Christ through studying God’s Word and through the love of the Stonecroft women.

“I deeply enjoy diving into the Word, always wanting to understand more of my Father’s love for all of us and how I can better magnify His love to those around me,” Laura said.

Some might think that hope isn’t possible in prison, but Laura’s story shows us that hope can pierce the darkest circumstances and even move someone to ask how they can love.

Ask

Where are places that you can bring the light of hope in dark places?

Pray

Father, I am your child, which means I am loved and accepted by You. Show me who needs to know this, too.

Sow

How can you magnify God’s love in someone’s life right now like the Stonecroft women did for Laura?