The Light in Our EyesSample

THE HOPE THAT YOU HAVE

“Always be prepared to give an answer,” wrote the apostle Peter, “to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15).

When we talk about this verse, we tend to say things like, “Peter tells us we need to be ready to defend our faith. We need to give evidence for what we believe.” I always squirm when I hear that. Was Peter really telling low-income Middle Easterners to give philosophical proofs for God’s existence to their neighbors? Not that that kind of thing is wrong. It just doesn’t seem very likely to me. Peter seemed to be talking about something deeper: hope.

I raised my hand one time to ask a pastor about this.

“I thought the reason for our hope was Jesus,” I said. “Isn’t Peter just telling people to be filled with hope? And then to tell people about Jesus?” The pastor looked at me like I was from Mars. The church today isn’t really known for hope. Think about it: When was the last time you heard someone ask a Christian, “Could you please tell me about the won­derful hope you have in humanity’s future?”

Jesus says the church has something to offer to this world: a dream. A dream that will one day come true. If we lose that dream, we’ve lost everything.

“The eye is the lamp of the body,” Jesus said. “If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness” (Matthew 6:22–23).

In the ancient world, the eyes were the symbol of desire. The thing before your eyes is the thing for which you hope. Jesus is speaking to the power of our dreams—dream badly, and your eyes will grow dim. Dream well, and your eyes will light up like a kid on Christmas Day. People will want to be a part of that thing you see. They will want to know where you found hope.

What are you currently “fixing your eyes on” in life? How does that shape your hope?