There is a condition in this life that is to be avoided at all costs. I see it every so often. It is when a person becomes so despondent that they believe they and their life are beyond hope. It is then they commit the most feared act of giving up. They fulfill their own prophecy and become their worst fear.
"We were saved in this hope but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one hope for what he sees." Romans 8:24
For some reason I don’t understand, we believe that we can live this life with everything the way it should be. We are dissatisfied when every detail of life isn’t as it should be. We learn to live a life of subtle discontent. We tell ourselves that we are just pushing for perfection and reaching for excellence. What we are doing is setting ourselves up for disaster. When real trouble comes, we have to believe we failed or something went terribly wrong because life shouldn’t be this way.
"If we hope for what we do not have, we wait for it patiently." Romans 8:25
We are not called to a life of perfection. We are called to serve in a life of imperfection. Remember, light in the darkness? So as believers, we must learn to live a life of hope. Learning to hope for what has not yet occurred and being patient for its fulfillment. We are content with what we have and learn to live with the imperfections of life. How?
By learning to draw nearer to the Lord with those imperfections.
"To this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially those who believe." I Timothy 4:10
Let me offer a few suggestions today on learning how to live with hope in an imperfect world:
- Examine in the scriptures examples of those who lived in hope.
- Accept that some of the things you hope for will occur while others won’t.
- Think more about heaven.
- Continue to hope for good things.
What are you hoping for today? What about tomorrow? Keep doing it and don’t give up. This life isn’t perfect but it is worth the effort. And don’t hope by yourself. Hope doesn’t work that way. Share with others your hopes and listen to theirs. And lean up Christ who is your hope. You see, he is the one who gives hope. Ask him!
Intentional Faith 