Faith is like a journey,
With twists and turns oh boy,
Yet when we sow in hope,
We inevitably redeem joy!
Out of the difficult life comes the ever present possibility of joy, but not without first venturing through the tumultuous journey of hope.
Hope, such like, is really a series of faith-decisions where we prefer confidence over hopelessness - even despite a lack of vision to the contrary. Yes, things may appear hopeless, and we may feel helpless, but anticipation can find its way into our demeanour by a decision to see the possibilities for hope.
When we hope for long enough, there is joy at the end.
Our primary challenge is one of resilience. If we can be resilient enough to not give up, to prefer confidence over hopelessness, we will be granted joy in the end. But our hope needs to be based in truth; for a hopeless hope may end in misery.
If our hope is a solid hope we have much reason to be content; joy awaits.
GOOD EXPECTATIONS AND BAD EXPECTATIONS
What could we surmise as a bad expectation? Perhaps it is someone we may be infatuated with who we know doesn't feel the same way. Realistically, they won't change their minds. Or, we may hold out hope of equally unrealistic dreams. It pays to have courage enough to seek feedback from trusted others on whether our dreams are realistic or not.
What could we surmise as a good expectation? The hope of being raised upon salvation is a good hope; the Bible promises God will raise us and we will enjoy eternal life, both here and to come. That's a good expectation. Finishing a course of study is a good hope; we can achieve it. Giving our children mechanisms for development sows into a hope for their lives. It's another good expectation with a fair likelihood of a good outcome.
Our hopes have to be realistic, and when they are we have every reason to hope for the joy that will one day be ours.
***
Hope is our advocate fuelling our faith, and when we sow in hope we will reap joy.
Hope is such an ally, sometimes she is all we have. Even when we don't have hope we can will ourselves into hopefulness by borrowing visions of joy from within creation, and from within our capacities and competencies. There is much we don't ordinarily see that can involve us in hope.
***
When we sow in hope, we reap in joy. When we believe, many things are made possible.
© 2012 S. J. Wickham.
With twists and turns oh boy,
Yet when we sow in hope,
We inevitably redeem joy!
Out of the difficult life comes the ever present possibility of joy, but not without first venturing through the tumultuous journey of hope.
Hope, such like, is really a series of faith-decisions where we prefer confidence over hopelessness - even despite a lack of vision to the contrary. Yes, things may appear hopeless, and we may feel helpless, but anticipation can find its way into our demeanour by a decision to see the possibilities for hope.
When we hope for long enough, there is joy at the end.
Our primary challenge is one of resilience. If we can be resilient enough to not give up, to prefer confidence over hopelessness, we will be granted joy in the end. But our hope needs to be based in truth; for a hopeless hope may end in misery.
If our hope is a solid hope we have much reason to be content; joy awaits.
GOOD EXPECTATIONS AND BAD EXPECTATIONS
What could we surmise as a bad expectation? Perhaps it is someone we may be infatuated with who we know doesn't feel the same way. Realistically, they won't change their minds. Or, we may hold out hope of equally unrealistic dreams. It pays to have courage enough to seek feedback from trusted others on whether our dreams are realistic or not.
What could we surmise as a good expectation? The hope of being raised upon salvation is a good hope; the Bible promises God will raise us and we will enjoy eternal life, both here and to come. That's a good expectation. Finishing a course of study is a good hope; we can achieve it. Giving our children mechanisms for development sows into a hope for their lives. It's another good expectation with a fair likelihood of a good outcome.
Our hopes have to be realistic, and when they are we have every reason to hope for the joy that will one day be ours.
***
Hope is our advocate fuelling our faith, and when we sow in hope we will reap joy.
Hope is such an ally, sometimes she is all we have. Even when we don't have hope we can will ourselves into hopefulness by borrowing visions of joy from within creation, and from within our capacities and competencies. There is much we don't ordinarily see that can involve us in hope.
***
When we sow in hope, we reap in joy. When we believe, many things are made possible.
© 2012 S. J. Wickham.
Steve Wickham is a Registered Safety Practitioner (BSc, FSIA, RSP[Australia]) and a qualified, unordained Christian minister (GradDipBib&Min). Steve writes at: http://epitemnein-epitomic.blogspot.com.au/ and http://tribework.blogspot.com.au/
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