Faith, Hope, and Love, part 2 of ?

Onward to Hope!

If faith is a remembrance of the past (see part 1), then Hope is a memory of the future.
What does this mean?
All of our perceptions of the future will hold to our paradigms developed from our past. So, when we look at the future, we look at it through the lens of all our past experiences, or at least our "memories" of them - our perception of the future is intricately influenced by our past.

Therefore, when we look at the future, we see it in light of our memory. Thus, the definition "memory of the future." - Quite fascinating, I think...

Hope could also be called an "anticipation of the future."

If Faith is remembering God's redemptive goodness, then we can anticipate that Hope is seeing that which has not yet arrived.

If Hope arrives, then it was not hope (or at least is no longer hope), because Faith and Hope always require eyes that do not see!

As Christians, our hope is built on the arrival of Jesus. He has arrived - I remember (faith). He has not yet arrived - I anticipate (hope).

The Day of the Lord is the essence of our Hope. Only in this ultimate denouement, or redemption, will our hope be realized.

Often, we speak of other types of hope; these look similar to optimism or fantasy, and are frequently found in Hallmark sentiments. Biblical Hope on the other hand is quite different...

The true nature of Biblical Hope is that we will die, but before our life ends, things will get worse.

Hope gets us into trouble; Hope is demanding. It's dangerous and it calls me to die. The paradox: If I will not die, of course, I will not live. Sound familiar?

There will always be loss as Hope is endured. Hope is a lifetime pregnancy. We wait, we anticipate, we expect, and in the midst of this, there is incredible agony.
Imagine yourself as a child waiting for Christmas morning to arrive. It was painful enough to wait a whole year! Now, imagine you wake up and your parents want you to have a nice, quiet breakfast. This may be ok for you now, but when I was 6 years old, the agony would have been unbearable!

The greater "unrealizability" (I definitely made that word up ;)) of what we hope in, the more agony we will certainly experience as we wait for its fulfillment.

So, if you hear a person speaking of Hope without bleeding, or wailing, or agony, it's probably not in reference to true, Biblical Hope.

Look at Romans 8:22-23. I'll briefly paraphrase here: the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth...we ourselves...groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for...the redemption of our bodies.
Two things stand out here:
1) waiting expectantly and 2) groaning inwardly

God is very aware of our agony.

So, here is a pivotal question to ask yourself:
What is it that tomorrow will bring that you believe will so satisfy you that you would not be willing to die today?
Another way of asking this: What illusions still hold your heart?

Many of the things we "hope" for or dream about are nothing more than delusions - they are not hope.
For me, I dream of the day I have kids. I dream of the day my house will sell. I'm definitely beginning to dream of the day I graduate! I even dream of insignificant things like the opportunity to watch the Buckeyes win another game...
Often, I hope for comfort or financial security. "If only such and such would happen I would be more content" I think to myself.

Who am I kidding??? None of these things will satisfy. I am delusional! My ultimate desires for redemption, reconciliation, and justice will only be realized on the Day of the Lord.

Hope can only come through disillusionment.

and therefore, despair can become my friend if it purifies what I'm hoping for.
this is huge...

I hope for my house to sell. It hasn't. I want the Buckeyes to win every game. They won't.
I want to love others perfectly, and I want to be perfectly known and understood. I can't and I won't be.
I hate poverty, hunger, homelessness, addiction, etc. Deal with it.

Frankly, life sucks when we get down to it. We've all been rejected, abandoned, betrayed. We've all been murderers and adulterers. Our sin is pervasive, and when I really consider this, let it sink into the depths of my being, I want to lay down and die.

Oh, this despair would be crushing if it were not for the glorious "But,"

So, here it is: BUT, this despair always brings me back to my anticipation for another world - the ultimate redemption of Jesus Christ. In this, and in this alone, can I Hope.

So, is despair my friend?
Strong feelings of ambivalence arise from this question, but one response says, "Unfortunately, we're only casual acquaintances as of now, but I long to be closer." Of course, the other side says, "Good riddens, Despair! I hope I never encounter you again!"
Ambivalence is a crazy thing that constantly rears its head in our lives...(so, you love reading these posts, and you simultaneously can't wait until you get to the end. Ha!)

Speaking of...I'm getting tired. I'll finish hope tomorrow...