Picture found at: http://thegreencabin.net/images/hope_6_2008_solstice_094.jpgWatch this quick clip from the movie:
(pardon the initial language)
(stop at 1:50)
How is hope made? What creates it? When does hope no longer become hope? There is a reason why these questions and more have not been answered: HOPE!
Hope cannot exist without faith. Faith within itself is not enough. It's the hope of what the faith believes in that keeps people going. Faith is the foundation and hope is the vision. Faith is the belief and hope is the drive. Faith is the beginning and hope is the future. Think about it. If I sit in a random chair, it is faith that allows me to make the first move and sit in the chair. It is HOPE, however, that allows me to continue to sit in the chair. Once I sit in the chair, my faith has been confirmed. I no longer need to attempt to believe that the chair will hold me up. Now I need to believe that the chair will continue to hold me up. The Bible even talks about the connection between faith and hope in Hebrews. It says that "...faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see (Heb. 11:1 NIV). "
Have you ever noticed, though, that hope never gives you a full picture? When you look at the picture above or at any horizon, do you notice that you never see the full horizon? Ever consider the various cliches that talk about "a glimmer of hope", "a shred of hope", "a glimpse of hope"? Hope is not meant to satisfy the big picture but provide you with just enough fuel to keep you moving in the right direction. If we could see the end result of everything, what would be then the purpose of hope? What would be the purpose of faith? Faith is to hope as the mind is to the body. Faith is our brains and the factual side of our beliefs because of what is tangible. Hope is our hearts and the emotional belief that everything will happen like it's supposed to (just as we believe our heart will work without us telling it what to do).
What destroys hope? FEAR! The lack of belief will shake the very foundation of our faith and cause us to lose sight of hope. When we don't believe that the chair will hold us up, we will never come to the table and sit down to receive the gift or the blessing of what He has for us. When we don't believe that there is a better way or a better choice, we will never walk in that direction of choosing the better way. When we don't have all the facts or have skewed information, we tend to hesitate and walk in boldness and confidence because we are scared it's not going to work.
Hope is bold and daring. Hope is confident and not arrogant. Hope is fearless. Hope does not have any disregard for comfort and safety. That's the audacity of hope!
Scriptures on Hope:
