I was reading my devotional today and there was a particular comment that really jumped out at me. The author referred to the change in the word hope as we tend to think of it today versus the way that it was used in the Bible.
We tend to use the word hope more as a wish, “I hope it doesn’t rain”, “I hope I get a Nintendo for my birthday”, and the worst is “I hope I’ll have a good retirement”. We’re looking forward with a desire for something we feel we have no control of.
A more positive and appropriate use of the word hope is more of a knowing. It’s the kind of hope that stirs something in us. A hope that causes us to look forward to something better that we know is coming.
As a christian, I have the hope that there is something better for me beyond this life. We can also have hope in this life. It’s a hope based on plans and dreams, not on wishes upon a star. If we are being wise with our money, we have the hope of a good retirement. If we’re restoring a car, we have a hope that we’ll be driving a slick hotrod in the future. It’s a faith with action.
The first kind of hopes provides nothing but a momentary pleasure or more likely a sudden disappointment. The second kind of hope provides a lasting drive and anticipation of the better things to come and a knowledge that what we do today has a purpose. Are you wishing or hoping?