by Maria Reginaldi
The word “hope” is bombarding my world this November. The lead character in the Christmas show I’m rehearsing for is named Hope, we’re entering into a holiday season marked by hope, and a dear friend and I are studying biblical hope in the book of 1 Peter (more on that later). What’s more, I’ve always felt like Tony in West Side Story…you know…something’s coming. Vision for my career has gnawed at me since adolescence, but in recent years I’ve noticed that, some days, my “hopes and dreams” actually feel more like empty unknowns and potential failures. In an effort to bridge my disconnect between “a thrill of hope” and “God, I hope I get it”, I’ve turned to St. Peter and the scholars cited on brainyquote.com’s “Hope Quotes” list for a comprehensive understanding.
Here’s a smattering I’ve compiled (commentary in parentheses my own):
“Hope in reality is the worst of all evils because it prolongs the torments of man.” - Friedrich Nietzsche… (yikes)
“We have always held to the hope, the belief, the conviction that there is a better life, a better world, beyond the horizon.” - FDR (very somewhere over the rainbow, no wonder people loved him as pres!)
“Uncertainty is the refuge of hope.” - Henri Frederic Amiel (positivity! We love to see it, Henri!)
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” 1 Peter 1:3-5
“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” 1 Peter 1:8-9
Shall we try and unpack all of these mic drop moments? Let’s.
It seems that human hope is a malleable quality, a light oscillating amidst trying or varying circumstances, whereas Peter’s hope is an objective quality founded and defined by faith in Jesus Christ.
The issue lies in semantics. God uses Peter to show us in these passages that real hope is imperishable, secure, sure; hope is a descriptor of the future promised in the Gospel. So often we use “hope” in reference to desires, things beyond our control, or to represent our optimism in humankind.
Example: “I never get responses from my email submissions, but I have a lot of hope!” Or “The industry has so many internal issues, but let’s hope we learn from our mistakes.”
Maybe understanding the distinction between these two uses will settle our hearts on the true hope promised through The Gospel which unifies us with God in Heaven, bestows wholeness beyond what can satisfy us on earth, and identifies us by Christ’s perfect life instead of what we can prove by our mortal efforts.
Earthly hope may or may not have a surefire ending (Ref. Amiel’s “uncertainty”). While I’ve got a “sense” that something great is coming and, just by holding still, it’ll be there (IFYKYK)....what if it doesn’t? Or what if something does come, but it isn’t great? When we decide that Christ is our Savior and commit to following Him, our hope isn’t just wishful thinking, it’s redemption of our past, security for our present, and blessing for our future. And it is good.
As I recline in sunny and slow Georgia, contemplating hope and what it means for faith, future and career for myself and those around me, I all too often drift to desensitize on social media. While I adore seeing friends’ and acquaintances’ highs and lows, comparison threatens my rootedness in the Holy Spirit’s guidance and, therefore, shakes my hope on the unseen Kingdom He is preparing me for in Heaven. In a slight of hand, the enemy shifts my hope from a living Being to a finite industry. Peter’s contemporary, Paul, states in Romans 8:23-25:
“Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”
So, for all of us dreamers, Paul does confirm that hope means waiting; it looks forward to something we don’t yet have. But is “what we do not yet have” a Broadway contract or new life in a Person who supersedes resumes, human approval, and earthly appearance? What He’s revealing to me here in the peach state is that, while Broadway is a desire in my heart, each day my goals usurp the throne of my heart and mind. It becomes a day not trusting that hope founded in Him is better, and growing in it makes HIS will for my life better than what any stage on earth can promise.
How often do we get to know the ending from the beginning? In a world, much less an industry, of many unknowns, will you join me in setting your hope on Christ? Let’s choose to bookend our days with His glory. If you have not rested in His certain hope, friend, I encourage you to lay your life down to the one who has not spared His own Son for you. May He give us joy in our earthly pursuits, our mundane rhythms, our miraculous successes, and our uncertain tomorrow’s, because our Hope is undying, unwavering, and independent of our emotions and efforts; it lives and breathes in Him.
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