One of my favorite movies is The Shawshank Redemption. I love the last scene where Morgan Freeman’s character Red, newly released from decades in prison, is on a bus to where Tim Robbin’s character Andy is restoring a boat on a beach in Mexico. In his buttery voice, Morgan reflects on hope:
“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.”
Hope is a big topic so I’ll only attempt to describe one aspect of it. This post was inspired by author John Eldredge in one of his recent “Wild at Heart” daily emails. You can read that post here.
What I found intriguing was Eldredge’s idea that we all have three kinds of hopes:
2. PRECIOUS HOPES – these are more serious. The fulfillment, or lack of fulfillment, of these hopes have a dramatic impact on our lives and the lives of people we love. I hope I survive the layoffs at work. I hope my child starts making better choices. I hope it’s not cancer. These kinds of hopes we usually acknowledge to ourselves and the people close to us.
Here’s why understanding these three types of hope is important to our personal growth:
“When our hopes are in their proper places, attached to the right things, not only do we flourish better as human beings, but we are rescued from a thousand heartbreaks.” John Eldredge
What’s he saying here? Two critical things:
So where will you choose to place your ultimate hopes for meaning, identity, self-worth, and a future? Obviously, you wouldn’t want to anchor these kinds of hopes to the volatility of the stock market or an ultimately unfulfilling bank account. Or even to your career which can change or end. What about in another person? What about in yourself? Where do you believe your strongest anchor lies? What is the bedrock that you can count on no matter what comes? That’s a question everyone needs to answer for themselves.
So when it comes to your hopes, keep them in their proper place. Don’t let a causal hope become a precious one, or a precious hope become ultimate. And make sure you anchor your ultimate hopes in something truly worthy of your trust. If you do, you’ll take another giant step toward Becoming Yourself.
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This is a really excellent post. Very thought provoking. Now I need to decide what to do about it!
I'm so glad that connected with you, Leeann! Thanks so much for the encouragement. That really does help keep me writing. And I know what you mean about being challenged by something and then needing to figure out how to apply it. I guess that's all part of this crazy journey we're on together :) Thanks again for reading!