Hope Is Work; Hope Is Real

Hope is such a powerful word.  

hope

[hohp]  noun

1. the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best: to give up hope.

2. a particular instance of this feeling: the hope of winning.

3. grounds for this feeling in a particular instance: There is little or no hope of his recovery.

4. a person or thing in which expectations are centered: The medicine was her last hope.

5. something that is hoped for: Her forgiveness is my constant hope.

 

The dictionary definition of hope comes across somewhat bland in light of its potential.  It's one of those words whose use in the common vernacular has watered down its more potent meaning.  (Compare to awesome and epic in the world of sports.)  The Bible offers in Romans 5:1-5 a stronger context of what hope is and how it is obtained:

 

¹ Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. ² We have also obtained access through Him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. ³ And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, ⁴ endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. ⁵ This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts 
through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.  Romans 5:1-5 (HCSB)

That sounds like a more difficult hope than "I hope we're having spaghetti for dinner tonight" or "I hope the Cardinals win the World Series this year" or "I hope I get the job."  It actually sounds like work!  We associate endurance with work over time; we associate proven character with consistency over time.  True hope is on the other side of endurance and proven character, not just some feel-good emotion.

Hope Is Not a Given

Having been to Haiti last fall and counting down the days (38) until my return there, I have been looking for books to educate myself on Haiti's history.  Unfortunately, our local libraries are woefully short on resources about Haiti.  Amazon offers more hope, and I have been researching books in which to invest.

I came across author Amy Wilentz, whose relationship with Haiti goes back more than 25 years.  She has published two books on Haiti, The Rainy Season: Haiti Since Duvalier and her latest, Farewell, Fred Voodoo.  I have not yet read these books, and, therefore, I cannot yet endorse them, but I did run across an interesting review of Farewell, Fred Voodoo that ties in to the topic of today's blog.

In "A World of Its Own," New York Times book reviewer Ben Fountain makes this statement near the end of his review of Fred Voodoo:  "Hope’s not a given, not in a place as hard as Haiti.  Hope is a grind.  Hope is a work in progress, emphasis on work.  For hope to be real, for it to be more than a feel-good cliché, it has to be earned."

Hope in Haiti is indeed hard work.  Too many shortcuts by people in power have kept opportunities out of reach of most of the populace.  Neither does hope seem to be within reach of the majority of Haiti's people. 

Lasting hope -- whether in Haiti, the world's poorest nation, or in the wealthiest nations in the world -- is not found in political or business systems but in Jesus Christ, the hope of glory.  Hope is work.  Sharing that hope is work. It takes endurance.  It takes proven character.  The difficulty of the work required for hope is nothing in comparison to the work of Christ on the cross, however. 

Hope is work.  But hope is real.  Even in Haiti.

Thanks for reading.

4theVoiceless,
Al