“Hope for the Best.”

How often have you heard that expression?  Over the years I’ve heard that expression in many different situations.  It is usually accompanied with “worry”.  We make investments and “hope for the best”.  We face money problems (the lack of it) with our business’s and so we advertise more or cut expenses or lay people off and “hope for the best”.  Or, we can’t seems to make ends meet and so we work harder at our jobs, or ask for a raise, or look for a new job, and “hope for the best”.  Or what about the trip to the doctor.  We sense that something is not right.  The lump, the chest pains . . .  We have them checked out and “hope for the best”.  (Oh man . . . we’ve seen that scenario play out way to often lately.)  We raise our kids and see them grow up and leave home, go to college, join the service; and wonder if we’ve done enough and “hope for the best”.

I bring this up now because it seems to me I don’t hear “hope for the best” much anymore.  Instead I hear “It looks so hopeless”.  The economy, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the war on terrorism, the fraud in everything – government – health care – politics – even religion.  Everything “looks so hopeless”!  I’ve heard it said that the greatest challenge facing the ‘young’ generation today is hopelessness; facing the future with no hope.

That’s not good!  I believe there is a vital need for us to have hope.  The Bible talks about hope in Jeremiah 29:11 – “`For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, `plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” Hope is expecting that God will give us everlasting life (starting now) and expecting that we will live with God forever (starting now).  We can hope with confidence because our hope is built on a trust in the most trustworthy one of all, God.

Hope brings us a deep sense of joy.  With hope we can maintain an optimistic outlook even when things go wrong.  Our life will still have its stress and personal tragedies.  But, no one who learns to hope in God, and has a grasp of God’s ‘plan’  will ever be overcome by disappointment but will be filled with patience, encouragement, and enthusiasm.  As long as our hope is in God, we can “hope for the best” – the very best!       - Carl Wierda

I came across this little story awhile back by Anthony DeMello.  It seems a little counter-cultural but certainly worthy of our personal self-reflection:

     The rich industrialist from the North was horrified to find the southern fisherman lying beside his boat smoking a pipe.

     “Why aren’t you out fishing?” said the industrialist.

     “Because I have caught enough fish for the day,” said the fisherman.

     “Why don’t you catch some more?”

     “What would I do with them?”

     “You could earn more money,” was the industrialist’s reply.  “With that you could have a motor fixed to your boat and go into deeper waters and catch more fish.  Then you would make enough to buy nylon nets.  These would bring you more fish and more money.  Soon you would have enough money to own two boats . . . maybe even a fleet of boats.  Then you would be a rich man like me.”

     “What would I do then?”  asked the fisherman.

     “Then you could enjoy life.”

     “What do you think I am doing right now?”