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Hope and Reality
Hope and Reality
“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
1 Corinthians 13:7
We are told that love hopes all things. How does one hope in someone who seems unchangeable and obstinate? Sometime, trying to be hopeful, we fool ourselves into believing that the state of some isn’t nearly as bad as it truly is. It feels optimistic and hopeful, so we feel that we have fulfilled this concept of hope. Truthfulness, however, demands that we face reality in ourselves and others. Hope that is love-driven is not one that is full of self-deceit.
We hope because of the one that can make and make anew. He is the Creator and the Sustainer. He is our life and our length of days. Is anything too hard for God? We hope because we know the great changes that God has made in our lives. We don’t have to fool ourselves into a false reality because God is not limited.
There is a third principle to keep in mind. Jesus tells us not to cast our pearls before swine. This is notably a very hard balance to strike. I believe that Jesus is teaching us not to spend exorbitant amounts energy on the hard hearted and unrepentant. But we need to still love them, pray for them, and let them know that you still have hope for them. We are to be realistic about the current state, have hope in God’s changing power, and be ready with open arms and working hands for the time that they seek God.
