My sister’s favorite movie is The Shawshank Redemption. If you’ve not seen it, the story is about an innocent man who is sent to prison. There are a couple of quotes in that movie about hope.
“Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.” “Let me tell you something my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane.”
Recently, I’ve been doing some self-evaluation. I am not convinced I like what I see. I’ve asked myself a lot of hard questions, and I’ve come to a big conclusion.
The struggle to have hope is real.
As it says in the quote above, hope is a dangerous thing. It can drive you insane.
To hope to feel better; to hope to be better; to hope our kids are doing what they should be when they aren’t with us; to hope my mother’s pain ends soon; to hope marriages can last; to hope to have a job; to hope to live a little longer; the hope my mind will not fail.
To hope…
I’ve come to realize all things that make my struggle real are inside myself. The negative thoughts, the pain both physical and emotional, but also the good. The good that only comes from above.
My hope isn’t in anything on this planet. ALL of those things and people will let me down, and I even let myself down…all the time!
The only hope any of us have is in Jesus…THE Way, THE Truth and THE Life. Dare I say, THE Hope?
Knowing the struggle is real helps me to know I am not alone. It helps to remind me to look to THE Hope for knowledge that I will never arrive. I will never not struggle. The struggle will always be there.
But so is THE Hope.
