Hope

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. – Romans 15:13

Every now and again you’ll find something in life that reflects a spiritual truth without trying. To some, this is surprising because if you’re looking for pop culture to provide you with spiritual truths you might be looking for a while. Hollywood doesn’t typically set out to provide God’s message, so it’s great to see how God can use things that would oppose Him to achieve His purposes. I guess that’s just one of the perks of being God.

One great example of this in the movies was The Shawshank Redemption. As with any great movie, there are many subplots that develop throughout the movie bringing depth to characters and giving the audience reason to pause and reflect.  There are several scenes in the movie that came to mind as I meditated on the idea of hope.

At one point of the film, Andy Dufresne (played by Tim Robbins) was placed in solitary confinement for broadcasting a song over the prison PA system.  Once out of “the hole,” he and Red (played by Morgan Freeman) discuss the power of music…

Andy Dufresne: That’s the beauty of music. They can’t get that from you… Haven’t you ever felt that way about music?
Red: I played a mean harmonica as a younger man. Lost interest in it though. Didn’t make much sense in here.
Andy Dufresne: Here’s where it makes the most sense. You need it so you don’t forget.
Red: Forget?
Andy Dufresne: Forget that… there are places in this world that aren’t made out of stone. That there’s something inside… that they can’t get to, that they can’t touch. That’s yours.
Red: What’re you talking about?
Andy Dufresne: Hope.
Red: Let me tell you something my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane.

Red’s comment about hope is true when you leave your hope in the natural.  I imagine that a man incarcerated for decades would feel more comfortable abandoning his hope.  Just seeing the sun gives us a strong desire to bask in its warmth and light.  Imagine how hard it must be to see the sun shining every day knowing that you could never step into it.  Over time, you’ll conclude that it’s best to convince yourself that there is no sun and just be content in the cold, dark places of life.  For some, this is an effective short-term coping mechanism.  For Red, it became his reality.

To many in the world, Red’s hopeless life would be uninspiring. To me, it’s a life in that stands in opposition to our nature.  As a creation, we strive for something more, something bigger and with higher levels of purpose because we know deep down that we were created for something greater.  The Bible clarifies this longing for us.  Because we were made in God’s image, we possess an awareness that there are greater things which await us – greater things toward which we are headed.  To deny ourselves the comfort that comes from this basic truth by removing hope from our lives will leave us unfulfilled and searching for deeper meaning in places where none exists.  This explains why people turn to quick fixes, impulsive decisions and other vices as an alternative to maintaining their hope in their all-powerful God.

It’s a process, but we can change our paradigms to reacquire the desire for hope.  You know this from your own life and experiences.  At some point, you’ve known the feeling of hopelessness.  Thankfully, God never abandoned the hope He has for you.  He stood by, patiently and lovingly providing you with what you needed to return to that place of safety and security in Him.  Andy Dufresne does something similar for Red in a letter awaiting him after Red’s parole.

“Dear Red.  If you’re reading this, you’ve gotten out. And if you’ve come this far, maybe you’re willing to come a little further. You remember the name of the town, don’t you? I could use a good man to help me get my project on wheels. I’ll keep an eye out for you and the chessboard ready. Remember, Red. Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies. I will be hoping that this letter finds you, and finds you well. Your friend, Andy.”

Andy knew that the day might come that Red would be released, and out of concern for his friend, he made Red an offer to join him.  In so doing, Andy was maintaining the hope he had in his friend to regain a thirst for something greater in his life.  There was no guarantee that Red would get out.  No assurance that he’d remember the location of that field where the note was left.  No reason to assume that Red would travel across a continent to join him.  But Andy not only made the invitation and provided the funding – he offered Red a hope for something new, something better than he’d ever known.

What is God bringing into your life?  You may or may not yet know what those things will look like, but we know they are coming and because they are from God, they will be good.

Similarly, Red left on his voyage with little knowledge of his future.  What’s more, the movie ends without us ever finding out exactly what happens.  But despite the lack of knowledge, Red’s final thoughts leave us with what we need to know…

Red: [narrating] I find I’m so excited, I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it’s the excitement only a free man can feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain. 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 in the Lord that He will complete in you the work that He has started.  Hope that you will find answers to your questions, solutions to your problems, and delights to fill your days as a dearly loved child of God.

Devotion by Richard Schumacher

LSEM Director of Programs & Services