Is hope good or bad?

Recently I've watched both The Shawshank Redemption (for the first time) and The Hunger Games (again). They are, of course, two completely different films - the former is about Andy Dufresne who is sentenced, wrongly, to life imprisonment and his experiences inside and, ultimately his desire to be free; the latter about a society in which rural districts are kept in poverty by the ruling Capitol who use an annual televised death match contested by young 'tributes' from each district as a tool to punish the districts for their past rebellion and keep them in line.

However, watching them so close together, I was struck by one theme in particular that they have in common - hope.

It comes out very strongly towards the end of The Shawshank Redemption in a conversation between Andy (Tim Robbins) and Red (Morgan Freeman):

Andy Dufresne: That's the beauty of music. They can't get that from you... Haven't you ever felt that way about music? 
Red: I played a mean harmonica as a younger man. Lost interest in it though. Didn't make much sense in here. 
Andy Dufresne: Here's where it makes the most sense. You need it so you don't forget. 
Red: Forget? 
Andy Dufresne: Forget that... there are places in this world that aren't made out of stone. That there's something inside... that they can't get to, that they can't touch. That's yours. 
Red: What're you talking about? 
Andy Dufresne: Hope.

 Andy recognises the power of hope, but Red also points out the danger of hope in a later conversation, when Andy's hopes of acquittal have been crushed:

Red: Let me tell you something my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane. 

A similar sentiment is expressed by President Snow to the Head Gamemaker Seneca Crane, as events in this year's games are starting to provoke unrest in the outlying districts:

President Snow: Hope, it is the only thing stronger than fear. A little hope is effective, a lot of hope is dangerous. A spark is fine, as long as it's contained. 
Seneca Crane: [confused] So... 
President Snow: So, contain it! 

President Snow & Seneca Crane. Good facial hair, but it won't end well. Source.

All three men understand that the hope of a better future is a powerful thing to have inside of you. Andy sees it as a force that can make you strong against all opposition. Red, on the other hand, recognises the danger of uncertain hope - hope that does not come to fruition will ultimately crush you into a depression worse than anything experienced by those who just accept that their life isn't going to get any better. Snow identifies the power of that hope as a tool that can keep people in line - it is more powerful than fear, because it comes from within rather than being imposed from outside. But what is the nature of the hope that these men talk about? The final lines of The Shawshank Redemption are quite telling:

Red: [narrating] I find I'm so excited, I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it's the excitement only a free man can feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain. I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope.

Red & Andy meet for the first time. Source.

It is an uncertain hope, a wish that things will turn out the way they want. In the end, Andy uses his hope as a drive to escape, fleecing the crooked warden in the process. His hope is fulfilled, but what if he had been caught at the end? What if he hadn't got away? I imagine the depression would have driven him to suicidal despair.

The apostle Paul recognises the futility of false hope:

³² If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised,

“Let us eat and drink,
    for tomorrow we die.”  - 1 Corinthians 15:32 (NIV) 

An uncertain hope is a dangerous thing, it can turn on you, destroy you. But that's not the kind of hope that Paul talks about:

5 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. - Romans 5:1-5 (NIV) 

 The Christian does not have a vague, wishful hope of Heaven and future glory. No, the Christian's hope is sure and certain. We do not put our hope and trust in the things of this world to satisfy us, but rather, looking forward we know that God will resurrect the dead and give us new, imperishable bodies and bring us to Heaven. Why? Because Jesus has already accomplished the victory - the result is certain!

Conclusion? We have a hope inside us that is not weak, to control us, our vulnerable, to crush us, but it is strong and guaranteed - that is the Bible's definition of hope. It's not an indefinite 'I hope it doesn't rain today', it's a certain 'I know that I will be in Heaven forever'. This hope is why Paul can say:

¹⁶ Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. ¹⁸ So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. - 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NIV)

When all is said and done, whatever people may say, whatever may happen, however we may fail, we are secure in Christ, and He will surely bring us to glory. So take courage, and pray that God will help us to fully comprehend the implications of this.

Our resurrection bodies, and what that means for my muscles

Easter Hope: Looking Forward to Your Resurrection (Article)

I just read this post from Theology Network on looking forward to the resurrection and our new resurrection bodies.

It's a good reminder of what we have to look forward to, and as I read it, perhaps an encouragement/challenge. Next time I look in the mirror and realise that my metabolism doesn't quite let me be the bottomless prandial pit that I was a couple of years ago, or that no matter how much I'd like to play competitive sport, or at least look like I do, I'm just not that fit or talented, that's not a cause for despair but rather it serves as a reminder that even if I never achieve my physical goals, God already has something infinitely better waiting for me.

That said, I must be honest, despair is too strong a word for my stomach - I'm only 22 after all, and it's just that I'm not as thin as I used to be. The point is though, that's not going to get any better, and one day I will be decrepit, and possibly fat, but it is encouraging to remember that death is not the end, that our aging, failing, unfit bodies will be transformed into something fit for purpose and vastly superior to what they are now (who knows, maybe we will even be able to teleport?).

So that's just one thought I drew from the article, next time you go up a waist size, or someone mocks you for being ginger (maybe that's just me), or whatever it is, let it remind you of the resurrection and the life to come!

That said that doesn't mean I should let my body waste away - it's under my stewardship. So I'm off to play basketball.

P.S. This is my first post using the Blogger Android app.

But have you prayed about it?

We tend to plan without praying, or worry without praying. Here's a reminder about the correct ratio of talk/worry:prayer.

via More than Watchmen Wait

God in the city

Sometimes I look at an environment like the finance industry, and wonder whether any Christians exist there, and how long they last. I had a few graduating friends who wanted to get into finance, which was news to me, as it didn't seem like the kind of occupation a Christian would be inclined to follow.

Well, turns out there are a surprisingly large number of Christians in banking. And as for how being a Christian squares with all that money-making industry, given the 'love of money is the root of all kinds of evil' and 'it is harder for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God' bits in the Bible, it is helpfully pointed out that it is the love of money, and that money is a gift from God. The question is not whether you earn money or not, but what your attitude towards that money is, and what you do with it.