She timidly walked into the room, unsure yet confident. Scared but brave.

She was beautiful. Young, but in a way that’s young now to my 41 years. She said she was 26.

Her skin was the color of tupelo honey; her eyes dark as night.

But behind those eyes, I saw fear.

She was there to take a pregnancy test. Of course, really, she knew she was pregnant. She admitted to taking several home tests before this day and all were positive.

“My boyfriend wants me to have an abortion,” she said.

“But you know it’s your choice, right?” said the precious Client Services Director of Matrix Pregnancy Resource Center.

“Yes. I want to keep my baby. It’s against my beliefs to have an abortion,” she said.

And I exhaled.

Not because I’m a pro-life zealot that protests near clinics with nightmarish signs.

Because of the hope that began to rise.

She took yet another test to confirm yet another positive result.

“He told me I could just go in and take care of it and it would all go away. He said it was easy,” she shared.

I recognize a serpent when I see one. I Remaining silent was not an option.

“Those are lies our world would like you to believe, Staci (not her real name). The truth is, and I know from experience, it’s not that simple. There’s nothing about abortion that’s easy. While you will be forgiven for making this choice, you will always feel the consequences,” I answered.

As we continued to talk, the three of us in a room where the Spirit was alive, I saw a spark return to her eyes.

Hope can be felt. It can be heard. And, oh my, can it ever be seen.

Early in the season, well before this scene at Matrix, I became obsessed with these white-lighted marquees from Target. Some said “Joy,” others “Noel.” My heart was set on the one that said “Love.”

So off to the Red Dot Boutique I went, only to find they didn’t have any that said “Love.” But they had “Hope.”

Honestly, I had to stop and think about this for a moment. Why “Hope” at Christmas? After all, this is a word I associate more with Easter.

Nonetheless, I hurried home with my “Hope” marquee and waited excitedly for the day after Thanksgiving to put it up.

Hope outside, for all to see.

The world needs this message of hope, doesn’t it? Sure, it also needs to hear about “Love” but there’s something about “Hope” this year that’s really causing some stirring in my soul.

And why on earth have I never associated the word “hope” with Christmas? God sent us hope in the form of a sweet baby.

A few weeks later, I was in Target so I thought I would check to see if they might have the “Love” marquee.

They did.

So the message of “Love” is inside our home – very appropriately. With elementary-aged children, sometimes we struggle with loving each other. Oh yes, we love each other – but I’m talking about love as a verb.

Hope on the outside, love on the inside.

So, how about we start a Hope and Love Revolution?

When you talk to someone who’s hurting, offer the truth of hope. When you see someone struggling, offer a hand and hope at the same time. When you hear negativity, move in the opposite spirit and put hope in the spotlight.

Because hope is love. And love is hope.

Today, I am sharing some musical hope with you by giving away two copies of my friend, Mia Koehne’s, Christmas CD.

I met Mia back in October when we both spoke at a women’s conference in Pennsylvania. Seriously, Mia’s voice is nothing less than angelic and her lyrics are evidence of a gift from God. Every time I listen to her music, I get teary and goosebumpy all at the same time. You can hear some of her songs simply by visiting her site . . . Click here to hear some musical greatness…

You can also connect with Mia on Facebook here and Twitter here.

I’ll announce the winner tomorrow morning (Friday) so if you would like to win a copy of Mia’s CD (and seriously, who wouldn’t?),  leave a comment and tell me . . .

What’s your favorite Christmas carol/song?