Virtues

Hope

Hope is one of the three key virtues of Christianity. Those who have hope are able to overcome adversity and nurture resilience that may preserve their health in tough times.

One can define hope as a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. Hope can also mean to trust, to expect, or to anticipate. The Holman Bible Dictionary defines hope as a “trustful expectation,” especially in reference to the fulfillment of God’s promises in our lives.

When she took her last breath, Jairus’ daughter was still anticipating that her loving father would find the Healer who could end her suffering. Jairus himself had a “trustful expectation” that Jesus was the one who could heal his beloved daughter. Despite the apparently hopeless situation, Jesus fulfilled everything Jairus and his family had hoped.

When we are in apparently hopeless situations and think there is no way out, remember that Christ lived, died, and was raised again so that we too can have hope. He promised us a full, abundant life, now and through eternity.