Is there value in hope? It depends.
Posted on September 28, 2010 by Pastor Tom
I once heard a talk show host say “there is no power in hope.” I understood what she was doing in her context. She hosted a talk show where people would call in, talk about their lives and ask for advice. She would jump in with her statement when a caller said something like this. “I know things are bad with him/her, but I’m hoping they’ll change and things will get better.” The host would say something like “you’re putting your hope in someone else actually changing after they’ve displayed this behavior pattern for years? How do you think that’s going to help anything? There is no power in hope. You’ve got to decide what you’re going to do.”
We are hopeful when we “have a wish to do something or for something to happen.” Hope wants or expects something. It can describe a confident feeling because something desirable is likely to happen. Or it can be a wish that something desirable will happen or be possible. It’s great to be filled with hope. Hope can inspire and invigorate. It allows for the dreaming of dreams and a tomorrow different from today. It’s inspiring being around people with hope. So in that sense, there is power in hope.
But that power can quickly drain away, if the object of that hope is untrustworthy. If a person has broken trust repeatedly, it is foolish to “hope” they will keep trust unless they significantly change. Or the power of hope can leak when harsh realities present a seemingly insurmountable obstacle. When President Obama was elected, many in the US were filled with hope. Yet nearly half way through his mandate, the “hope” seems to have leaked significantly for a variety of reasons. So in one sense, I partially agree with the talk show host’s statement. The power of hope can be compromised by broken trust and harsher than expected realities.
Yet if the object of our hope is trustworthy, there can be great power in hope. I hope you can think of someone in your life that often (if not always) comes through for you. Maybe it’s a parent, grandparent, spouse, friend, coworker, teacher or someone else in your life. When you think of this person, you’re likely to smile and celebrate the way they’ve impacted your life.
These folks are gifts in our lives. Yet imagine someone who is absolutely trustworthy. Imagine someone who never fails, never goes back on his word and never leaves or forsakes his kids. Imagine if you knew someone who so loved you they were willing to pay an immense personal sacrifice just to ensure you would have life or discover life or go forward in life. Now stop imagining. He’s the Father God in the Bible who created you. He waits for us to put our hope in Him. That’s a valuable hope.
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