A Sustainable LifeShembull

The Well of Hope

Have you ever hoped for something and it didn’t turn out as you wanted?

When I was 11, I played rugby for my local team. I don’t think I was all that good at it (my brother has most of the sporting genes) but I loved playing. All the teams in the area were part of a district and once a year a small group of players were selected from all the local teams to represent our district at a regional rugby tournament. I really wanted to make the team.

The day came when the selectors would come to watch my local team playing. I remember I gave it all I could. I made every tackle possible, putting my body on the line. I felt like I did my best. But it wasn’t enough. I didn’t get selected.

I was crushed.

We’ve all experienced times when we hoped for something, even something really significant, and have been disappointed.

In the passage we read today, Paul writes; ‘and this hope will not lead to disappointment’. It isn’t just any old hope he’s referring to, he’s not talking about that hope, he’s talking about this hope. It is with this hope that we are to dig our well.

This hope is rooted in the love of God that the Holy Spirit pours into our hearts. This hope is founded on the work of Christ and looks forward to the final coming of His Kingdom. This hope knows that struggles and trials are what God sometimes uses to help us grow into who he wants us to be. This hope isn’t a hope that simply looks longingly to the other side of suffering but is a hope we have despite our suffering.

Question
What area of life needs a renewed focus of the hope of God?