Hope vs. No Hope

According to Merriam-Webster's dictionary, the definition of hope is: 

to cherish a desire with anticipation; to desire with expectation of obtainment; 

to expect with confidence.

From a Biblical definition/perspective, hope is: 

the confident expectation, the sure certainty that what God has promised in the Word is true, has occurred, and or will in accordance with God’s Word (http://bible.org/article/hope). 

Pretty similar definitions right? But why is hope such a tough topic to understand, discuss, believe? Why is hope something that seems so hard to hold onto, so distant, so unreal? Why does it seem to be so hard to have hope about anything, especially in light of the world we live in today? Why does it seem that if someone has just a sliver of hope it can be snatched away in the blink of an eye? Where should we turn for hope when it seems we have none?

Here's another definition for you... hopeless means: 

having no expectation of good or success; no susceptible to remedy or cure; 

incapable of redemption or improvement; giving no ground for hope; 

incapable of solution, management, or accomplishment.

An awful thought isn't it? Living without hope? Not believing that anything good can come out of a situation or life? Having no chance at something better? But here's the reality... nearly everyone in the world has lived or is living without hope. They wake up every day going to their comfy job with the dream of making money or gaining fame to stop the hurting inside. They wake up every day and go through the same routine of school, work, exercise and building relationships just to end the day by going home and crying themselves to sleep in order to feel something other than loneliness. They wake up every day and head to the dump to see what they can find to salvage or sell. They wake up every day knowing that their body will be used numerous times for someone else's pleasure and there is no way out. They wake up every day wondering if their kids will have food for the day. They wake up every day wondering if their husband is going to come home drunk or sober that night. They are all living without even a sliver of hope. And they have no idea where to look. This is the harsh reality that so many in our world live with.

As God followers (I don't like the word Christian much anymore... maybe I'll write about that in another post), we have hope. We have hope in a Person. And we have a job to share that hope. You all know exactly what I'm talking about. You all know how our hope comes through the Person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Messiah, the one true Sacrificial Lamb, the one who gave up His place in heaven to touch the lives of His people. We have hope. There is no denying it. We have the hope that His sacrifice was the final one needed for us to live a better life with God. We have the hope that one day all will be made new and right again, the way it was meant to be in the days that God created everything. We have the hope that one day we will be as one people in the throne room of God giving praise to Him forever. We have the hope that one day there will be no more cancer, depression, sex-trafficking, suicide, poverty, drug addiction, abuse, divorce, corruption... in a word... sin. We have the hope that one day we will see evil destroyed once and for all. And we have the hope that one day all will be free. 

But we also have a task. We have a task to share our hope. We have a task to make disciples of all nations, tribes, languages. We have a task to reach out and touch the untouched. We have a task to love the unlovable. We have a task to shine as a light to the world. We have a task to stand beside those who have are been defeated by the world and lift them up. We have a task to care for the orphans and the widows. We have a task to talk to the rich and to the poor. We have a task to share and spread the Gospel. How else is our hope supposed to spread? How else is the Person we hope in to be known by those who still live without hope? 

I have learned a lot about hope and living without hope in my time here in Peru. Part of our mission statement at Project New Hope is to give hope to those who have lost hope. And I see people every day who live without hope. I walk by them every day I go from my house to Dani's. And I am learning what it means to share the hope that I have. I am not saying that I am perfect at it. I am not saying I'm the next great evangelist. I am not saying that I am even doing it every day with everything in me. But I am saying that I am learning. I am learning to look for opportunities. I am learning the power of prayer and how even if I can't speak the language or communicate clearly... I can hug, hold and pray for the people of Peru who are living without hope. I have seen people forced from their homes and drawn to the Church because the hope they were offered (Absalon Vasquez). I have seen people bring their family members to events and hang out times we've had because they want their family members to find hope. I have seen Mike and Dani work day in and day out with our team to help offer hope to the people of Trujillo, Peru for the last 4 months. And I'm beginning to understand the meaning of the word hope. But in reality, it's not a meaning. It's not a definition or explanation that Merriam-Webster records for those in English class. Hope is a Person. Hope is a way of life. 

"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works." 

- Titus 2:11-14 (italics added)

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope."

- Romans 15:13 (italics added) 

May you remember who your Hope is. And that you have a task to do. 

p.s. How can you not find hope in the God who created such an incredibly beautiful world for us to live in?

I've fallen in love with Him all over again thanks to His handiwork both in the States and here in Peru. His creation truly sings of His glory. And He is our Hope.

(these pics are of mountains in Idaho... some of the most beautiful mountain pictures I've ever seen and so they have become my favorite to look at... next week I will have pictures of the Andes here in Peru after I get back from vacation with my Peruvian family... will post them for you)