Hope. And expectation. Are these words synonyms? Or do they define different ends of the same spectrum? How are they connected? Which of these is under our control? What lessons do these words, these concepts teach us?
How important is it to have them present in one’s life? I mean, is there such a thing as a minimum daily requirement of hope? Or expectation? (“Honey, did you take your expectation today, like I told you?”)
Can one live one’s life without one or the other (or both) of these words? How foundational are they to a healthy existence? (At this point, I’m wondering: can I write an entire article in the form of running questions?)
Recently, I heard the author and contemporary theologian Brian McLaren define expectation as: “Disappointment that hasn’t happened – yet.” I laughed when I heard this because I’ve lived this experience. I recognize it as a pattern in my life – generally with me being a primal instigator of much disappointment. And thereby earning the title of expectation spoiler extraordinaire.
So, are both hope and expectation fragile? Expectations certainly can be. But I think of hope as being more sturdy. Durable. Enduring. Not so lightly dashed.
Perhaps sturdiness is all relative, and dependent on its respective source. Wishes and expectations come from within ourselves. And they can be so fragile. As such, have very little assurance of coming to be. Sometimes, hope, as a verb, is also ephemeral. Elusive. “Did I get that right? Gee, I hope so.”
But hope, as a noun, is a different thing altogether. Hope comes from without. We place our hope in things outside of our own selves. And hope is enduring. In the visual vernacular of Christianity, the virtue of hope is sometimes portrayed as an anchor. An anchor provides a safe mooring, preventing one from perilous drifting.
In his first letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul wrote about the three virtues essential for a solid Christian life. “And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.” Faith is a gift. Love we can generate. And hope? We aspire to hope. To me, hope is a deep yearning for that far-off time or place where, in the wonderful words of Dame Julian of Norwich: “All shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”
I have faith that place exists. And, I would so love to see it. Do I expect to get there? Dear God, I hope so.
To me, hope is a deep yearning for that far-off time or place where: “All shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.”