Embracing real Hope … ( 04 / 09 / 2012 )
Embracing real Hope … ( 04 / 09 / 2012 )
“ And now faith , hope , and love abide , these three ; and the greatest of them is Love . ”
~ the “ Apostle ” Paul ( 1 Corinthians 13:13 )
It ’ s Easter Monday , and spring is booming its BIG BEAUTY all around us . I guess that means that today is a day for celebrating the rebirth of hope — and this , whether you are a Christian or not … That having been said , it is important to keep hope in its proper perspective — otherwise it will do us more harm than good . Indeed , regardless of how you feel about Christianity & its Bible , the verse above illustrates this Truth very well . As Einstein himself so astute pointed out : “ If people are good only because they fear punishment , and hope for reward , then we are a sorry lot indeed ” … And this is especially so when we realize that the “ love ” mentioned by Paul is actually “ agape ” in the ancient Greek manuscripts — a word that meant so much more than mere “ love ”.
Indeed , “ Agape ” fully trumps both faith and hope combined … Indeed , it is only Agape that can save us . Hope and faith both yearn for what we feel to be a better future — often for ourselves or the ones for whom we happen to care . Agape , on the other hand , simply gives and gives and gives .
It is Agape that serves the poor … It is Agape that greets strangers warmly , as though they were long-lost Friends ( As they are !) … It is Agape that forgives those who are wronging us … It is Agape that goes forth each day , grateful not for the good that will assuredly come our way , but rather for the Good we can do for others .
And if we can remember this Truth and act on it in our everyday lives — maybe only for ten minutes each day – then our hope begins to shift … We start to hope to lessen the suffering of those in pain … We start to hope that the saddened once again know Joy … We start to hope for a world of Peace , and we start to hope that we can play a small-but-significant part in making it so .
This is the hope that comes from real LOVE . So … got HOPE ?
“ Lord , save us all from the tree of hope that has lost the ability to put forth blossoms .” ~ inspired by Mark Twain
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