Happy Good Friday! Today is one of the most holy days in history. It is one of the most tragic days, but at the same time one of the most wonderful days in all of human history.

Good Friday is the annual memorial of Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross for the sins of the world. Why is it called “Good Friday?” One of my all-time favorite short videos explains it powerfully: click here to watch “What’s So Good About Good Friday?” (it’s the ultimate 5-minute palindrome!)

Each day, on the whiteboard outside our staff office, I post a new “Discussion Question of the Day.” My intent with each day’s question is just to get people talking. The questions are meant to give people something to discuss while waiting in line, eating lunch, riding in the car, etc. The tone of the daily question is usually just fun or curious – just a prompt to help people share a memory, a preference, a favorite or least favorite thing, an experience, or something unique about their personality or life.

Some days though, the question will encourage a bit more introspection. A question to help people think deeper than just the surface and the right now. Today’s question, in honor of Good Friday, is one such question:

What Gives You Hope?

I’d like for you to consider that question for 60 focused seconds today. Search deeper than the surface. Deeper than the immediate needs of right now. Way deep down, in the core of who you are, what gives you hope? What helps you look forward? What helps you to see beyond the urgency of this moment or season of your life? What gives you REAL hope?

Your answer may not fit on an office whiteboard. That’s okay. Even better than a short answer on a whiteboard, why not discuss it with a person you trust? A close friend… your spouse… a mentor… a pastor or counselor…

Good Friday is a great day to search your heart and identify the true, deep, and real sources of genuine hope in your life.