One Hope 

By Angel Paz, Youth Pastor of Restoration Church in Homestead, FL

What is hope? Well, the dictionary tells us that hope means “to cherish a desire with anticipation; to want something to happen or be true.” The difficult thing is that even when we “cherish a desire and want something to be true,” sometimes It’s just not enough.

A few years ago, my six-year-old cousin ran to me filled with excitement and asked if I could teach him how to swim. I, of course, said “Yes!” I mean, how could I say “No,” right? We planned for his big day to be during spring break, which was just a few weeks away. His anticipation built up as the hours and days slowly went by. When the moment to take off his arm floaties and jump into the vast depth of the four-foot pool finally arrived, his face that was once filled with joy was now covered in tears. Even though I was waiting for him with open arms ready to help or save him at a moment’s notice, the assurance of safety he once had was gone; now he was overwhelmed by fear and uncertainty. After two long weeks of anticipation, of excitement and joy, of desiring to swim and wanting it to be true, he walked away brokenhearted, not having learned to swim.

Oftentimes, in a world where “life catches us by surprise” and scary things happen all around us, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with fear and uncertainties. Even when we hope that things will turn out the way we want and be okay in the end, for some reason there’s always the small voice of doubt in the back of our minds screaming, “WHAT IF IT’S NOT GOING TO BE OKAY? WHAT IF IT GETS WORSE?!”

Someone once told me that if you focus on everything that’s wrong, it’ll seem to get bigger; but if you focus on God, you’ll remember He IS bigger.

So, what is hope really? In reality, this word is misused a lot. “I hope I get an A.” “I hope the Dolphins win.” “I hope she calls!” It’s almost like wishful thinking. That is not the biblical word. According to the Bible, hope isn’t a want, a feeling, or an emotion. It’s not a wish or a desire. The biblical word for hope is like an anchor for our souls. It’s a certainty, a joyful and confident expectation.

True hope is the assurance that no matter what happens, even in our moments of doubt, God works EVERYTHING for the good of those who love Him. Real hope is KNOWING that no matter what situation of life I may face, God will never leave me or abandon me. 

God’s word tells us that our hope is ALIVE. The reason we can be filled with inexpressible joy in challenging seasons is because hope is a person, and His name is Jesus. When you face any kind of doubt, fear, and uncertainty, place your hope in God. He’s waiting on you with open arms.