What is Hope?, March 29

Tuesday, March 29

Psalm 39:7: “And now, O Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in you.

Life as we know it has become very complicated and stressful in the last few years. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t felt it. Our country has become so divisive over just about everything; right or wrong, left or right, black or white, and on and on…

This was all happening before COVID, but then we were all locked down in this pandemic, and it just got worse. The way we did our jobs changed; many lost their jobs. School became an online nightmare for our kids, supplies became scarce, and, for some, money was tight. People have gotten really angry. Violence has escalated and road rage is out of control.

I think most people probably spend a lot of time hoping for things to get better for themselves. A long-needed vacation for your family (or maybe from your family). Maybe you hope to win the lottery and you think that will make your life easier (I buy my ticket every week…just in case). Or maybe you hope for good health (my daughter’s chronic illness is a frequent subject of our prayers). These are all the sorts of things many of us probably think about that might relieve some of the stress we are under, or improve life in the short term. But would any of these things really transform our lives for the better in the long-term, or change the complications of the world around us?

What is hope? According to Wikipedia, hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one’s life or the world at large. In its archaic form, hope means trust. I think that if we all would choose to hope, not just for ourselves, but for all people, it would not only change our outlook on our current circumstances, but it would also pave a way for us to repair the division in our country and the rest of the world. I choose to hope that we would learn to love all people, no matter who or what they are, just as Jesus did.

Only love can heal our broken world and I choose to hope that we can contribute to that healing. If more people would choose love over hate, or even indifference, so much of the stress we have in our lives would melt away. This is no easy task, but I choose to hope that it can and will happen.

I will leave you with this quote from my daughter’s favorite poem by Emily Dickinson: Hope is the thing with feathers, That perches in the soul, And sings the tune without the words, And never stops at all…

Anne Harper