This sign is posted on the road to my house. The arrow seems to point down a dirt road. I have no idea what is down there, but it must be a new hope of some kind.
Same Old Hope
Seeing that sign made me want to build a similar one: “Same Old Hope” with an arrow pointing the other way, for no other reason than that I live on the other side of the road.
Why would I want to post a sign like that?
Because I think it would be funny for the drivers along the road. I love to find humor in life. Laughing is my favorite sport. And on top of that, I’m sort of a smart-aleck.
But I do have another, more thoughtful reason.
Strong Desires
I first saw the New Hope sign on the Friday after our nation’s election. I don’t think the sign relates to anything about the election. Nevertheless, we had hopes for it. It didn’t matter how the vote went or who we supported, we all had some hopes related to the election.
We also have hope in other things. We hope our finances will work out, that we’ll get a raise or an awesome job. We hope our relationships will be great or get better. We hope our kids turn out right. We hope we stay healthy or get healthier. We hope we have enough money to retire. We hope to take a vacation and do some awesome bucket list kinds of things. We hope that one day, we’ll wake up and everything about life will be just as we want it.
All of these are hopes for something new, a wish that things were—well, different. It’s a new hope. And I’ve had those just like the rest of us. But these hopeful wishes aren’t a sustaining hope.
Real hope is …
my Same Old Hope. It’s living. It’s consistent. It’s always solid and never wishy-washy. In the face of marital ruin and troubles with kids, Same Old Hope was there for me. When struggling with health issues, Same Old Hope had my back. During times when the bills outpaced the money, Same Old Hope held my sanity. No matter what earth shattering circumstances or joy filled situations, my Same Old Hope has remained steadfast.
My Same Old Hope has been mine since I was a kid. It is my hope in Jesus. Even though my body fades or my plans fail, Jesus has a purpose for me that never fades and never fails. I have confidence that Jesus will prevail and give me that place of peace and purpose: a heavenly presence. My Same Old Hope gives meaning to life and purpose when the “new hopes” fall flat.
Real hope is living, consistent and divine. (Go ahead. Tweet that if you wish.)
Jesus is our Same Old Hope. (Tweet that.)
How to Painstakingly Avoid Hope that Fails (Tweet that.)
Have you ever been disappointed by hopes denied? Ever found that Jesus was the only hope that remained steady? How do you balance hope on lasting things when comforts of life are what we crave?
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