Hope & Faith

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. http://bible.us/Heb11.1.NKJV

Even if you are an atheist, this verse has to make some sense. Sometimes I think that not believing in a God takes more faith than believing in one. Whatever your "faith" is, hope is universal.

Hope is a human emotion, it's built in, it's included, it's part of the package. When a human being is stripped of hope that's when serious poverty sets in. If you have ever walked the streets of a big city and sat down to talk to homeless people you begin to realize that hope is the main currency they are dire need of. Money helps, but hope changes their lives.

Without hope, there is no faith, there is no drive, there is no life. Without hope, we are doomed, depressed and down trodden.

So how do we gain hope in the face of adversity? How do you gain it when you seem to have lost all hope?

Faith. Wether it is faith in yourself, a god or whatever is the fuel that brings about hope. And at the core of faith is believe. If you have faith in someone, you believe they can help you and that gives you hope.

I am a very technical and scientifically minded person. I'm usually driven by facts and concrete concepts not abstracts. But in the case of faith, I choose to believe in the hope that comes from an unseen God.

I believe he does not plot against me and that even in the worst times, this God who created me has the best interest in me. And when I choose the wrong path, he somehow re-arranges the world around me to bring people and circumstances together to get me back on track.

I have no idea if you know what gives you hope. If the only thing that gives you hope is you or other people, I suggest you examine this closely because something greater than you, me or a friend is in charge. I put my faith not on man but my God. How about you?