Hope vs. Cynicism
The coffee had hardly been poured when my new friend leveled me: "The great challenge in life is to live with hope and not cynicism." I barely had time to choke down my magnificent seven before my mind was whirling. I am good at cynicism. I'm good at poking holes in theories that don't work. I can do cynicism.
But hope? That's another thing entirely.
There is a kind of hope that masquerades as hope; but it fails in its naive cliches. "God is in control," when given to explain the horrific violence that one cannot explain is not hope at all, it is a life line thrown without a shore in sight.
Hope is found in the dirty details of real life. It is held by people who know loss, yet somehow keep going. Cynicism can propel someone out of the mud, but cannot find its own footing. Hope is direction; it is the shore in sight. Hope is grounded.
So I want to know real hope. I want to embody hope. Hope based in the down and dirty details, without pretending that life is better than it is. Hope that speaks without words and rises out of ashes.
That's what I want.
But hope? That's another thing entirely.
There is a kind of hope that masquerades as hope; but it fails in its naive cliches. "God is in control," when given to explain the horrific violence that one cannot explain is not hope at all, it is a life line thrown without a shore in sight.
Hope is found in the dirty details of real life. It is held by people who know loss, yet somehow keep going. Cynicism can propel someone out of the mud, but cannot find its own footing. Hope is direction; it is the shore in sight. Hope is grounded.
So I want to know real hope. I want to embody hope. Hope based in the down and dirty details, without pretending that life is better than it is. Hope that speaks without words and rises out of ashes.
That's what I want.
posted by Steve W. at 7:35 PM
4 Comments:
we're in the same boat on this one. lately (and by lately, I mean the past few years), it seems that I've lost most sight of hope and just become jaded by this life.
so how do we fix it?
Huh, haven't visited your blog in forever, and randomly did two days after you had a new post. Cool.
An inadequate answer to your question morpheus...
Weep for those who hurt and are being hurt. Then, cry some more for their pain. Mourn for the sinner who is responsible for what he does, but who does not really know what he is doing - destroying the world around him and himself. Every opportunity you have to feel bitterness, throw it out and fill yourself with forgiveness. If ever there is a choice between an easier emotion and a Godly emotion, choose the Godly one. Prefer being wronged over being invulnerable.
Cynical hearts are bitter hearts. Bitter hearts don't hope. Hope can be scary. Having hope leaves the opportunity for destroyed hope. Having hope for something creates personal responsibility for seeing that thing through. Real hope is intimate, it involves a closeness with God and precludes observation where the heart is distant. Tender hearts are not safe, but tender hearts have hope. Hearts of flesh, that would rather hurt than harden, are unblinded by cynicism and so are able to see the hope that is. Cynicism is self-protective and so distances one from the person in pain (even if that person is oneself). Connection with Jesus comes when we allow our souls to be in the middle of it all. It is in those moments when we know this connection that we cannot help but to hope, for our spirits know powerfully that the Lord is strong and God is loving. If these two things are true, hope is real and unassailable - even when we don't see it.
that's depressing!
- David
what's depressing, David?
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