A Four-Lettered "H" Word Part 2

It may be February, but that doesn't stop Arkansas from having freakishly awesome weather. A few weeks ago, we had the most snow I have ever seen in this state, with the piling white fluff relieving us of school worries for an entire three days! Three days of sleeping in, staying up late, hanging with friends, and eating good, warm food. I also had a grand opportunity to get way ahead in my classes. Did I take it? Nope. I studied for a big test that was moved to this week, but that was the extent of my productiveness. Now, I am back to the typical hurricane-pace of a normal week, and the weather decides to play in the 70s...

*sigh*

I really wish that we also got out of school for good weather, too. Instead of sitting inside writing lab reports and studying for tests, I want to be outside hiking. But, nice weather will come for the rest of my life. Graduation in May ...kind of a once-in-a-lifetime thing.

So, back to our hopeful conversation.

What does it mean to hope?

Goodness, how did you answer this question? I feel like this is asking "what is love"; you have to describe the effects of the cause to define it.

Romans has some pretty good verses on hoping: "For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is not hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently." Romans 8:24-25. Does some of this sound familiar? "But hope that is seen is not hope at all" So, hope is futuristic; we haven't seen the prize yet. We are looking ahead and determining what is good or what is desired. Hope isn't stuck in the past, and it isn't content with the present. Eyes set forward, hope gives us a reason.

What is the difference between a hope and a wish?

All of these questions were some that I jotted down when preparing for this study. The next few are just a little word emphasized, but I find terminology incredibly insightful and a great guidance in exploring ideas.

I view a wish as something desired, but with reserve. Wishing has a lesser degree of commitment than hoping. When you throw a penny into the fountain and wish for a good day, I question how much you truly expect for that wish to be fulfilled. If it does, then perhaps your wish was just a hope in disguise. I view wishing as placing an order to the etherial kitchens, but hoping...hoping has so much more meaning. When we truly hope for something, we see a good outcome that is worth fighting for. Hope drives people.

I can't remember where I saw this, if it was a movie or TV show, but it was a villain talking about how he controlled his victims. He said that giving people hope was the secret, that if you said you were going to kill them, they would fight with undying tenacity. However, if you even subtly hint that they can get out alive if they do as they are told, they will hold fast to that hope of survival and be easier to deal with.

We can wish, but it is hope that drives us to do or be something.

Take our Lord for an example: He didn't wish that we would be His children; He hoped it and sacrificed Himself to make that even more possible.

What is the difference between a hope and a dream?

I think these two are more closely related than a wish and hope. But, is there a difference? Part of me says 'yes,' and part says 'no'. I think 'no' because both will drive a person forward to grow and live life; both are definite but also highly susceptible to change. However, I think 'yes' because of the direction of the action. We are always asked what our dreams are when we're young, and the answers tend to be along the lines of "I'm going to be a teacher." "I'm going to be a football player." Mine were "I'm going to be a vet and save the rainforest." We also call our nightly mental wonderings "dreams".

So, here is one way that dreams and hopes differ: a dream's focus can never be separated from ourselves. The night-time and day-time dreams are always centered around the dreamer. It is always what I am going to be or what I am going to do. A hope can dwell in but also escape the boundaries of a first person focus. We can hope that the good in people will prevail over the evil, that our friend makes it through her struggles, that we be the best that we can be.

I think that dreams are the goals and hopes are the purpose.

Again, I getting way too wordy than you have time for, but I love exploring ideas. It seems there is going to be a part 3, but I promise it will come much sooner than this one did. I will make this promise to you: I will post part 3 next Sunday, March 6. Until then, God bless you and please feel free to comment.