Hope, as referred to in the Bible, is a confident expectation of good. It is not merely wishful thinking that everything is going to turn out alright. True hope comes from trusting God and expecting that He wants the very best for your life. Sharing this powerful message of hope with others is an important part of encouragment.

The Bible has a lot to say about our need for encouragement, and our responsibility to encourage others. Someone once described "encouraging" as "to pour courage into", and that's a very good place to start. Encouragement can help others take heart and proceed in their Christian walk with renewed energy and determination.

We can encourage one another with timely words, or with acts of mercy, or through the giving of symbolic gifts such as these to encourage hope, to encourage peace, to encourage joy.