Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

It has been demonstrated countless times that hope is an essential element in human survival. Wise medical staff will be honest with patients, but at the same time not destroy hope. Predictions of lifespan should be expressed to the family, and only in very guarded terms to the patient. There should be no bones made about the fact that everyone is mortal, and every patient should be prepared for an end-of-life scenario, but medical predictions can easily be wildly off. We have a friend with lung cancer who is more than two years past her predicted demise, and though on oxygen, enjoys fellowship with her husband and children. She is a strong Christian and has no fear of death, but is rather filled with hope of a glorious future, whether in this world or the next. She is a strong argument against euthanasia! Hope is a powerful motivator. Young people who have a hope of success will apply themselves toward their goal, whatever that might be, but without hope, their talents are likely to be wasted. It is the hopeless who are most vulnerable to such temptations as drugs and gangs. Hope is not the same thing as wishful thinking. Rather, it is powerful to the point that Paul ranks it right up there with faith and love among eternal qualities. (1 Corinthians 13:13) God is indeed the God of hope, as Paul says here, and we should be deeply grateful. A generally hopeful attitude is often called optimism, but the Bible doesn’t want us to be “cockeyed optimists,” to use the term from the song in South Pacific, but rather realists who are aware that God is over all, and He is greater than any obstacles we might encounter.

I think I’ve been an optimist most of my life, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t had struggles with depression at times. In my experience, it all comes down to focus. If I am focused on myself and my circumstances, hope can easily go out the window. If I am focused on my Lord, my hope is boundless! He has surprised me with blessings more times than I could count, and that enables me to take blows in stride. Some people were almost shocked at my attitude a couple of years ago when I slipped on ice and broke my left wrist rather spectacularly. It was certainly inconvenient, and recovery took time and was painful, but it didn’t drag me down. Just recently I lost a hard drive with a lot of data on it that is either totally lost or will require a lot of effort to recreate. I’ve actually been rather surprised at myself, at how calmly I’ve taken it! I really think hope comes down to trusting God to know and do what is best, whatever it might look like to me in the moment.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I’m in the middle of a hectic time, and it’s easy to be pulled down by missed expectations. Help me indeed keep my expectations fixed on You, not trying to dictate what will happen when, but allowing You to guide me and those around me in the way You know is best, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!