What Is Hope After All

Almost my entire life I've been led to believe that hope is simply a wishing of the heart and if you're good then you'll get what you want. Very similar to the Disney theory that if you wish upon a star and hope for something with all of your heart then it will come true! Imagine that!! Completely not the way a believer should think of hope but for some reason that's the mindset I had as a child and it stuck with me...until now. I've definitely been learning what hope is and where my hope should be placed. I've come to recognize that I have a cynical attitude and a large part of that attitude stems from disappointment and that stems from the fact that I have been placing my hope in people -- i.e. I hope that this person changes, I hope that I will get this scholarship, I hope that this relationship will work out -- so its' no wonder when I'm constantly disappointed because I put all of my hope in people who are imperfect!

A lot changes when you start to put your hope in the Lord. You realize your limitations and you begin to cultivate faith. Instead of hoping that an individual will magically find enlightenment and change themself I can instead give that person and the situation over to the Lord in prayer and place my complete trust in His sovereignty and in His power. God knows best and it is His timing and ways that are always perfect, who am I to argue with the God of the Universe? That has been a hard lesson for me to learn, as I've stated in a previous blog I have the potential to think that I know better than God and I take over the controls. But being in a helpless situation has forced me to give it to God simply b/c I could do nothing else and now I'm beginning to see the benefits.

Hope is so much more than wishing, hope is trust + faith + patience. Trusting in God's power and sovereignty, Faith in His character and promises, Patience in waiting and sometimes longsuffering. There are days when I want to throw in the towel and give up the battle but then James 1:3-4 comes to mind "because you know that the testing of your faith produces perserverence. Let perserverence finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything". How awesome to think that God allows trials in our life....specific trials that He knows will be exactly what is needed in order to bring about maturing and completion so that we are not lacking in anything. This verse speaks directly to me of God's love and His care, if He didn't care for me then He wouldn't spend so much time in molding me.

Romans 5:3-5 "And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us."