HOPES, DREAMS, AND REALITY

Is false hope better than no hope at all? I guess it would be if having false hope lightens one’s spirits and doesn’t hurt anyone in the process. As a mediocre golfer, when standing over my ball before hitting it, I always hope and think ‘this will be my best shot ever!’ My sweet husband used to tell me that this kind of reasoning is delusional when most of my previous shots were so pitiful. But hoping makes me feel better in the long run and helps soften my temperament. No one is hurt by my attitude, and in fact, my golfing buddies prefer my being delusional to grousing over a four-hour time span, to be sure!

After living a long life, I have experienced the fulfillment of many dreams as well as the coming to pass of some of my worst nightmares; I believe this is called, life. The world is not a perfect place. In fact, as beautiful as it is, the earth is subject to the elements of time as is everything that lives here. Even with our best efforts, mankind is not able to permanently reverse the effects of aging for himself or for the environment. This is reality; to believe otherwise is false hope with no useful return.

The Bible tells us that the hope we have in Jesus Christ is “an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” Hebrews 6:19, NIV. Unlike “false hope,” every promise from God is reliable and true. I love when every day the sun rises and sets, no matter what happens in my world; I can’t change it or stop it. Beyond the reliability of the sun or this life’s circumstances, I believe my salvation and future are eternally secure because my position in Christ is unconditional.

One day, when God decides, the sun will vanish, and with it every living thing. Will it be in your lifetime or mine? No one knows, but you and I have an expiration date too. What then? Is your answer rooted in false hope and dreams, or in the reality of God’s eternal promise, Jesus?

Sherry Sharp