About Hope

Faith, hope, and love. Paul told us the greatest is love… but what about the other two?

I was at a large dinner party last night, and this was one of the topics of discussion at my end of the table.  Four of us stayed late and, over several glasses of wine, kept the conversation going.

This is where I came down: Faith is confidence. It’s built on what we have experienced in the past. For example, I no longer have fear about if/when my left retina will detach, because my community prayed me through the right retina’s detachment, and God blessed me with miracles throughout the process. I no longer fear being fired or laid off; it’s happened to me twice, and both times I ultimately ended up in a better place financially, mentally, and spiritually. I no longer fear being broke, because I’ve been there and am stronger and richer for the experience.

To me, hope is about the things we yearn for but with which we have little or no successful experience. I hope to be more Christlike in my interactions with people who annoy me and to meet them where they are. I hope to gain control over my emotions. I hope to share the message of redemption through publication of novels.

My life or salvation won’t be in danger if not one of those hopes or others I have is ever realized. But I like to think I’d be a better person, and that perhaps I’d leave the world a teeny bit better, if they are. I work at turning those hopes into realities. I have faith God will present me with other opportunities for love if they don’t.