Faith and Story: Stories of Hope

Another kind of story, both in book and in movie, that we as people tend to enjoy are the ones that give us hope.  Those story lines that show someone overcoming long odds to accomplish something great seem to spark that sense within us that we can accomplish anything.  They make us feel powerful, as though any obstacle can be overcome, and that the realm of the possible grows when we focus on what all we can accomplish in life.

Why does this kind of story touch us so much?  I believe, in part, it is because we want to believe that we can overcome almost anything.  Just this morning, I was reading from one of my running magazines, reading stories of many women who have overcome cancer.  Their stories are inspiring, and seem to touch our hearts in a way that makes us think, "If they can do it, then so can I!"

Now, I have to admit that this has both its good points and its bad points.  On the good side, we have a God who has shown us that very little is actually impossible as we live in this world.  Not along the lines of overcoming gravity or aging or death, but rather, that the creativity and perseverance of the soul which are truly astounding.  Thirty years ago, who could imagine a video conference between people in 6 different parts of the world?  Yet, because someone had hope that it was possible, and persevered through the many attempt to make it possible, it is now a commonplace kind of thing.  Hope inspires.  Hope gives us a reason to live, and to achieve, and to accomplish, and to overcome.  And these are all admirable traits in us.

Yet, there is a downside to this idea of hope.  It's the idea that we can overcome anything and not have to rely upon a greater power, or upon God.  For example, it is admirable to have hope that we can battle against certain diseases and help improve people's lives in the world.  Yet, if the hope is to overcome disease and death, we are suddenly putting ourselves in the place of God.  Hope, in its proper sense, never seeks to overcome God, but instead points back to Him.  Hope, in the sense of making ourselves God, will most often not only disappoint, but lead to domination and ultimately even tyranny.

Stories of hope have their place.  They are inspiring, and they teach us that God made us to be creative, to persevere, and to strive for more.  Yet, that same hope finds its boundary when it seeks to exalt us as humans as the ones in control of our destiny.  When we find ourselves attempting to overcome barriers that God Himself has put in place, then hope starts to become misguided, and we place ourselves in danger of becoming our own god.

I love stories of hope.  I usually come away from them feeling empowered and energized.  My hope is that these stories of hope give us all that same sense, and point to God as the reason for our hope.