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From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

 

Dear Rev. Graham: Is it wrong to look on the bright side of life when things go bad? My friends say I live in a fantasy world but it seems like we need to try harder to see that good can even come out of bad things. Is that fantasy or hope? – F.H.

 

Dear F.H.: Some equate hope as a fanciful wish. But the word explodes with confidence to believe in something greater than ourselves. Hope is not found in things, but in God who is the Giver of hope.

Good things can come out of bad situations. While it is wise to be realistic, we must be careful not to dampen the spirit of hope due to lack of faith in what God wants to accomplish in each person’s life. After all, hope is a gift. When hope is present, despair departs.

We know that darkness does not remain, for the sun breaks through the night. Every morning without fail the sun peeks over the horizon. God is the Light and creates the light whether in the flicker of a flame, a sunray, a moonbeam, or the twinkle of the stars in the heavens. And the flicker of life in the soul is hope.

A contemporary philosopher, the late Richard Rorty, claimed that hope placed in the promise of Jesus Christ returning to Earth has failed because Jesus has not returned. This philosopher believed a new document of promise was needed for hope to exist again. But there is a document of promise that has never grown old. It’s new every morning. Jesus is Earth’s only hope. He came to unlock the door of our souls. “My flesh also will rest in hope” (Psalm 16:9, NKJV).

Hope is an unseen commodity that pays dividends while we still live. God bless those who live in hope, for it pleases the Lord.

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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)