Hope In the Real World

Hope, like many things, is different for suburban Americans than it is for others in the world. We have many things in our lives that often appear to be dependable, in which we are tempted to place our hope. This temptation is a luxury most people never experience. If you've never had a nice house, if you've never seen a grocery store with all the shelves full, if you've never had the chance to make more than a few dollars per month and your government is a military dictatorship, then you're not tempted to put your hope in the economy, the government, or even in yourself.

Sunday's message was definitely directed at us American middle class folks. Even the great kids' book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, which we read on Sunday, assumes a level of financial and political security most kids in the world do not enjoy. For Alexander, a bad day meant no racing stripes on his new shoes. For many kids in the world, it means no shoes at all, and perhaps no food, and perhaps an illness with no medical care. All this begs the question: does hope work outside the American suburban bubble? Is hope in Christ realistic for people who live in poverty or oppression, or is it just a by-product of the fact that we've lived all our lives in a place where it isn't silly to expect that tomorrow will be better than today?

My wife directed me today to a post on one of her favorite blogs, which champions hope much better than I can. If you're not familiar with this blog, "Pioneer Woman" is a suburban professional who fell in love and married a cowboy she calls "Marlboro Man." The post you need to read is called "A Tale of Two Houses," and is a report from Marlboro Man's trip to the Dominican Republic with Compassion International. Click this link and scroll down to see the post:

http://thepioneerwoman.com/confessions/

Hope is powerful, even in the real world.