False Hope

When you make a bold claim about what God is doing in your life, some folks will respond with what they call hope. 

"Aww, I hope that happens for you!" 

Thanks, but no. 

The world uses "hope" to mean the same thing as kind of a wish or a dream. Something you want to happen, but you aren't really banking your life on it. It would be nice, but you aren't really making plans. You think about it a lot and want it to come to pass, but your day-to-day hasn't changed because of it. You might not even really expect that it's possible. 

"Hope" is a Christian word. At least, it used to be, but the world has so changed it and made it so commonplace that even Christians are using it in this way now. Even Christians have lost sight of what hope really is. 

It's not a wish. It's not a dream. Hope is a confident assurance. It is knowing with absolute certainty what you haven't yet seen and living like it matters. Living like it's made a difference in your life. Changing your day-to-day on account of what you're sure of. 

Jesus Christ is our living hope.

So when I say what God is doing in my life, and I know it deep in my bones, I don't need you to hope for me. I need you to understand that that is my hope. It's something I'm certain of. Absolutely. It's something I'm already living into, something I already know, even though it may not have come to pass yet. 

It's not a wish I have. It's not a dream. 

The world needs to stop wishing and dreaming in response to the absolute incredibleness of God. We, as Christians, certainly need to stop wishing and hoping. We need to start believing and moving. Acting. Living. 

And we need to stop being dismissive of someone else's hope. 

This is where it gets tricky.

But what you're saying when you say, "I hope your big, bold faith prediction works out for you" is "I don't believe God works that way, but whatever." Why can't you believe God works that way? 

What keeps you from thinking God does miracles? What keeps you from thinking God is still doing good in the world? What keeps you from thinking that God is putting broken things back together right now? What stops you from thinking that God so loves the world that much, right now? Today? 

What is it about your faith that makes you wish when someone else boldly proclaims? 

That's the question we need to answer. 

Because "hoping" that works out for someone...is false hope. It's just a pipe-dream. 

Where is the faith?