I’d like to share with you my realization one morning: I’ve realized that many people who don’t believe in God have even more hope than I have (at least, when it concerns this life). Why? Because I have anchored my hope only in the life after this one.
It isn’t wrong to hope for the next life. It is, after all, one of the very foundations of our faith (and that’s what we shouldn’t forget!). We should know that the things in this world are but temporary, and if we are wise, we should strive for eternal things. But here’s the truth. We can’t always see the eternal, and our faith is not always strong. There are times when even our physical and mental health weighs us down.
When we are suffering like that, I think it isn’t wrong to just keep ourselves afloat by hoping that somehow, things can still change for us… in this life. We can hope that our health could become better. We can hope that we could be healed. We can hope that one day, we’d be able to get ourselves and our loved ones away from poverty. After all, if there is a beggar asking for bread, would we be compassionate if we told her to just wait for her redemption in heaven? Of course not! The right thing to do would be to extend our help to assist her even in her material needs.
This should not keep us from hoping for eternal things. But let us not lose sight of the life we still have. The sun rises each day to remind us that we should never lose our hope.
“I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living.” – Psalm 27:13, NASB
You may also want to read:
Our Indispensable Need for Hope (click to read more)
It is part of life’s journey to face difficult times. But we must never lose the light of hope.
Check Jocelyn's books:
"Of Waves and Butterflies: Poems on Grief", "Mend My Broken Heart", "Questions to God", "To Love an Invisible God", "Defending My Catholic Faith", and more - click here.
(You may freely quote excerpts from this website as long as due credit is given to author Jocelyn Soriano and the website itakeoffthemask.com)
One reply on “Our Hope in This Life and in the One to Come”
I love this! Spoke directly to me. Because my mom died on Sunday after a long illness. She was a strong Christian. I am too. We had conversations where we both said we were not afraid to die. We look forward to the afterlife! Life on Earth is suffering. Pain. Fear. But eternal life with my Savior Christ Jesus? Thanks be to God! ???