Joy Jot #21. Hope.

Faith, Hope, and Charity by Jonathan Linton, 2012.

My friend has a painting hanging in her entryway that depicts faith, hope, and charity. I often stop to view and ponder it when I’m at her house. I ask myself: Which virtue is the most important? Are all three necessary? What would happen if one were missing?

We all know charity is considered the greatest—because the Bible says so—but I find myself fascinated by hope.

Love without hope leads to despair.
Faith without hope leads to doubt.

We need HOPE!

Hope for a better world.
Hope that the sun will rise tomorrow.
Hope that we can figure things out—or climb out of the pit.
Hope that the illness or unfortunate circumstances will end.

Alexandre Dumas must agree with me. The final line of his masterpiece, The Count of Monte Cristo, reads:
“All human wisdom is contained in these two words—Wait and Hope.”

If you don’t feel hopeful today, what can you do?

• Write down what you're thankful for

• Reflect on times in your life when you overcame something difficult

• Do something you enjoy—be creative

• Spend time with friends or family who love you

• Take action on a task that’s dragging you down

• Choose to be hopeful by using hopeful language

Against hope, believe in hope! (Romans 4:18)

May the God of Hope fill you with joy, peace, and hope! (Romans 15:13)

You’ve got this!

Amy