We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.
Romans 5
Some thoughts from our conversation about hope:
Hope is transcendent of feelings. Life involves suffering and difficulty, but somehow hope is beyond that. It's not about wishful thinking. It is, amongst other things, the assurance of meaning in the midst of difficulty. The assurance that the life we are living is not pointless but somehow holds meaning.
It is interesting that one of Victor Frankl's observations about the holocaust was that even within the concentration camps of Nazi Germany, people could find meaning. That search for meaning is part of what it means to be human.
As we age, our bodies have bits that don't work. We can say that we have one foot in the grave, but it is also true that we have one foot out of the grave.
Everything, physically, wears out and deteriorates over time. Except your soul. Your soul continues to grow. It gets better. Maybe that growth is what enables us, as we mature, to view God's love as wider and more embracing. Maybe that's why we are able to embrace and include more as time goes on.
We can see hope as a discipline. We can think about what it might mean to exercise the discipline of hope.
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