Hope for the Journey

God has created us to understand things by making comparisons. One particular kind of comparison is the metaphor, in which we understand an idea by comparing it with something that is different in kind but with which we are familiar. One metaphor we all know is the one used in Psalm 23: "The Lord is my shepherd." By thinking of the characteristics of a shepherd--watchfulness, tenderness, faithfulness--we understand God's love and care for us in a more concrete way.

A common metaphor for life is that life is a journey. We use this one all the time. We talk of coming to a "fork in the road" when we have a decision to make, for example. We speak of "going through life," as if it's a trip we're on. A truth that has risen to the surface of my mind recently (See what I did there? My mind is now a vast ocean--or maybe a pond.) is that one must have hope to travel the road of life successfully.

This last spring a friend gave me a book that I'm just now getting time to read. It's On Reading Well by Karen Swallow Prior. In this book, Prior talks about twelve virtues through the lens of great literature. In the chapter on hope, she cites Thomas Aquinas, who said that "the four conditions of hope are that it regards something good in the future that is difficult but possible to obtain." So, as we're seeing it here, hope involves looking to the future for things to be better. We realize that the road may not be easy, but we trust in the possibility of good to come.

Of course, scripture tells us--and Prior would not disagree--to hope in God:

Why art thou cast down, O my soul?
and why art thou disquieted within me?
hope thou in God: 
for I shall yet praise him, 
who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
(Psalm 42:11, KJV)

The author goes on to suggest that two kinds of hopelessness are presumption and despair. She explains, "Presumption  . . . assumes that one's hope will be fulfilled; despair anticipates that one's hope will never be fulfilled." These ideas have given me much to meditate upon as I pull weeds and fold laundry this summer. And a song by Cynthia Clawson came to mind. It's called "The Journey." Listen to it when you can. I think it will do you good. She says, "Give me the heart to be pure; give me the faith to be sure; give me the strength to endure all my tribulations."  www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzY-IMkUIp8 (The song I want you to hear starts at 1:15, but the intro piece is good, too.)

God, give us hope.

--Sherry Poff