The Perfection of Hope
Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure-1
John 3:3.
What constitutes perfect hope? First, that it shall be certain; and no
earthly hope is so. For we all know that there blends with, and shadows the
brightness of, every such anticipation an opposite possibility. "It may be;
it may not be." And when thus "hopes and fears that kindle hope" are blended
as "an indistinguishable throng," and we are tossed from one to the other as
a shuttlecock between two battledores, there can be no perfection of hope.
If my anticipations are set upon contingent things, they must vary with
their objects. You cannot build a solid house on a quagmire; you must have
rock for that. So, the only perfect hope is that which grasps a perfect
certainty. Christian hope ought to be, if I might so say, screwed up to the
level of that on which it is fastened. It is a shame that Christian people
should be wavering in their anticipations of that which in itself is
certain. A sure and steadfast hope is the only perfect hope. Again, the
perfection of hope lies in its being patient, persistent through
discouragement, burning bright in the darkness, like a pillar of fire by
night; and most of all in its being operative upon life, and contributing to
steadfastness of endurance and to energy of effort. This is exactly what the
feeble and fluctuating hopes of earth never do. For the more a man is living
in anticipation of an uncertain good, the less is he able, to fling himself
with wholeness of purpose and effort into the duties and enjoyments of the
present. But a perfect hope will be the ally and not the darkener of the
brightness of the present. And if we hope as we should for that we see not,
then shall we with patience wait for it. I fancy that the experience of most
men is that the more they indulge in the pleasant, but profitless amusement
of forecasting to themselves future earthly good, the less are they fit for
the strenuous work of today. Tomorrow deceives us when it is an earthly
tomorrow. But "every man that hath this hope in Christ," and only the man
who has, "purifies himself even as he is pure." Here, then, is the sort of
hope which it is laid upon us Christian people consciously to try to
cherish, one which is fixed and certain, one which is the mother of patience
and endurance, one which persists through and triumphs over all trouble and
sorrow, one which nerves us for effort and opens our eyes to appreciate the
blessings of the present, and one which wars against all uncleanness and
lifts us up in aspiration and aim toward the purity of Jesus Christ. Think
of the blessedness of living thus, lifted up above all the uncertainties
that rack men when they think about tomorrow. Try to realize the blessedness
of escaping from the disappointments which come from all earthward-turned
expectations, when the radiant bubble bursts, and there is nothing left in
our hands but a little dirty soap-suds, as is the case with so many of our
fulfilled anticipations of good. Try to realize the blessedness of escaping
from that despairing hopelessness that creeps over men as life ebbs away and
the years diminish. And remember the buoyant words of the Psalmist, who,
because God was his hope, therefore, though he was "old and grey-headed,"
sang, "I will hope continually" [Ps. 71:14]. The brightest blaze of
Christian hope may be on the verge of the darkness of the grave.
In Celebration of Life in Him,
Dr.Jim DeBruhl, gembeaux@bellsouth.net
