“The audacity of Hope” is a memoir written by former President Barak Obama while he was still a representative for Illinois. In it he professes a belief in American values that are meant to unite a country. Even in the face of division, fear, belief, and cultural differences, he believes the things that have united us in the past (education, science, free speech, opportunity, and the constitution for example) are still a part of our fabric and if we can unite in these key areas we can overcome the conflicts that now surround us. I can’t say if I agree or disagree with the former president but what I have seen is that, according to the nightly news, we live in a constant state of fear no matter how much we may try to unite on an issue. The most recent Covid-19 outbreak has proven this. In an area where there should be complete unity there are still those that feel the country is over reacting and live in defiance of the CDCs recommendation to remain quarantined.

It would seem that Obama’s audacious hope would be one for unity even in the face of division. However, if we can’t be unified when facing the possibility of death is there a possibility of unity in regards to something less threatening? In order to be true hope, the thing hoped for needs to be attainable. Without the strong belief that something is attainable what is the point in hoping for whatever that might be? I am not disparaging Barak Obama’s hope. I am just wondering at what point is something more of a wish than hope? For instance, I too wish for unity, I do not believe this will happen though seeing as we can’t achieve unity on how to handle a global pandemic, regardless of CDCs recommendations. If anything, this pandemic has shown how divided we are and hoping for unity appears lost.

Even if unity was attainable this would only be fleeting. Consider that in time this virus will become a thing of the past. When this happens, we will go back to the way things were before; arguing, complaining, fighting, blaming, and these are only mild adjectives describing the worlds present condition. Even if Covid-19 is our new normal this will soon become back page news and we will forget about any chance of solidarity. The unity achieved, at any point, would be momentary. If one needed reminded of this, I had never seen this country as united as it was following the events surrounding 9/11/2001. Churches were filled to capacity and it did not matter if one voted for Gore or Bush. We were going to the blood donation sites in droves, talking with our neighbor, hugging strangers, we engaged in sobering and heart wrenching discussions. We supported each other and cried on each other’s shoulder. But 2 months after that moment we were back to politicizing everything, blaming a different race for the problems of the country, attacking minority groups, and otherwise went back to “life as normal”. Even after the biggest tragedy to face America in my lifetime we could not stay unified.

Does this mean we give up hope? Absolutely not! It means we should not place our hope in people, ideas, or institutions that will not remain even if that hope is placed in the idea of unity. Our hope needs to come from a place that is not material and temporary. By doing this we will ensure hope will endure past our present situation. If we find ourselves fighting the newest pandemic, facing a national tragedy, or helping a loved one cross from this life to the next, holding on to a hope that is outside a fading material world will ensure a hope that will last forever and is not subject to the highs and lows that come with life. Without a hope that is outside of the material world we will be subject to the beating waves of life. Riding out a storm like covid-19 means that we allow ourselves to get swept away in the hopelessness in fighting an invisible virus or we wait calmly, not giving into the waves of despair, knowing that our hope is greater than anything this world has to offer. We can either hold on fast to an anchor and ground ourselves in an eternal hope or realize that all hope, no matter how virtuous, is temporary and will ultimately mean nothing once we are gone.

But what is this eternal hope I am talking about? Let’s look at a few ways Jesus provides hope in times of uncertainty.

Completeness

We may have moments where we feel fulfilled. Most of the time one may feel like something is missing in their lives. Couples who experience this may believe that this emptiness can be assuaged by having a baby. Someone who enjoys work may believe fulfillment can be found in promotions or an increase of power in the company. Someone who is single may believe this fulfillment will come through dating or marriage. The incompleteness we feel may vanish for a moment when we help someone, spend time with those we love, or in a moment of excitement. In that moment all the world seems right and we have a sense of completeness. However, we know this feeling is fleeting. The next day reality hits us in some way, a cancer diagnosis, bills need paid, thankless jobs, a global pandemic. Jesus promises that through Him we will never feel incomplete and in Him this promise is not temporary. In fact, that completeness we feel in our good times is only a shadow of the true completeness we will feel when we are in his presence. This means that your perfect day, surrounded by your best friends, is only a fraction of what life is like when you’re in Jesus’ presence. This means the best and most important promise one has in Jesus is that when they die, they have Jesus himself. All the wonderful family gatherings, Christmases, vacations, dances, concerts, weddings, etc. you’ve ever experienced, if they could all be rolled up into one moment would pale when compared to the moment Jesus gives us when we are in His presence. We have a never-ending completeness in our lives while at the same time being able to spend time with someone who knows us better than our own mother, father, or other family members. This relationship with Jesus is the single most important promise we will ever have in death. Everything in our lives that we feel is missing is made complete in him. All worry vanishes, all disease, all heartache, all incompleteness, everything wrong in this world vanishes when we die knowing Christ.

This should serve as a warning though. For those that do not wish to follow Jesus, He will give you what you desire. In this case, one would have that feeling of completeness while in his presence but that feeling would be gone as Jesus provides that person with their desire. To know the fulfillment known only in Jesus only to have it gone due to our own selfish desire to serve ourselves over Jesus would be debilitating. To know and taste perfection and completeness only to realize one would never have that ever again is a worse outcome than never knowing the fullness we could have in Christ. This means that the worst day on earth is better than death apart for Christ. At least, on earth, we do not fully know the extent of Jesus’ relationship with us and what this means for us. Once we taste what this means when we die and are removed forever from it, this is a fate worse than death.

Restored Relationships

We live in a world that values isolationism. Just from a personal perspective I have heard many co-workers say how much they enjoy a glass of wine and Netflix at home. Maybe this would include a bubble bath or time with a favorite pet. I have heard even more people complain about a family member, neighbor, or friend. Granted we do go on vacation with some of these people but to spend every waking moment with them? This does not mean we do not love people it just means we have each been burned, in some way, by a relationship we thought we could trust. This makes us less likely to open up and enjoy another’s company for very long. We have developed a defense mechanism that says “so far and no farther”. We may desire to be with people but even then this desire might be short lived as we do get on each others nerves.

Imagine a situation where you were never hurt, could open up about anything and not be judged, be yourself and be treasured for who you are. Not only does this apply to you but everyone you’ve ever met. Gone is the positioning of who is better, the selfish attitudes, pride, hurtful comments, and everything else that seperates us from each other. Imagine your favorite person being able to spend eternity with you without ever getting on each others nerves. Imagine having conversations that last for days with both of you laughing with no schedule to keep. Maybe this is the thing you can not wait for.

Maybe you have lost someone and seeing their face one more time is all you’ve wished for since they left you. Now imagine that moment when you get to sink into their arms once more. For those that have lost a child or miscarried, you have a child waiting excitedly to show you around all the places they have been. This one hit me hard personally. I have always been close with my grandpa and am excited for the day I get to see him again. More recently my wife and I went through a miscarriage. In my head, when I die, I will be greeted by this unborn child who will tell me the name Jesus gave him or her and by my grandpa. They will both excitedly tell me all the things they have been up to while my child will say look at all the things grandpa showed me. I know there are no tears in Heaven but I am not sure I would be able to hold back that waterfall over the happiness this would bring.

A side effect of these restored relationships is that of unity. President Obama’s hope will one day be realized. But not in the present day. It will be realized once Jesus establishes His eternal Kingdom. Something that can not be achieved by our own undertaking is achieved with a piece of wood and 3 nails. This audacious hope is found only in Him.

No matter if you have a broken relationship today, a lost relationship you cherished for so long, or one you ever got to have but desired for so long, trusting in Jesus restores all these relationships.

Holiness

Out of everything we receive in Jesus, this is probably the most difficult to understand. We live in constant rebellion to God, our society scoffs at the idea of Jesus, the words we speak are laced with self-interest and pride. Even when we do not know what we are doing we sin. When our lives are this saturated with sin, we are unable to fully comprehend the holiness of God. But through Christ we are promised his level of holiness.

Have you ever been on the highway and passed a cop? Does your heart end up in your stomach at all? How about a quick check at the speedometer? With cruise control set at 65mph this might not be as much of an occurrence, why? When you KNOW without any doubt you are not guilty you know you have nothing to fear. When there is a little bit of doubt then your pulse may begin to race. When you are not sure of your speed you pulse increases because you are not sure if you were caught or not. When you go the speed limit there is no change in your bio response because you know you are innocent.

Now imagine instead of a cop we replace him with a judge and jury. Instead of speeding we replace the crime with murder with the punishment is death. We replace doubt with clear cut evidence that you are guilty. How fast would your heart be beating as the foreman hands the verdict over to the judge? All of the sudden a little heart flutter might turn into a full body response. Pupils narrow, blood vessels widen, hands are clammy, sweat trickles down your brow, you know what is coming. What if in that moment your mom stands up and says “take me, I will take the punishment my child deserves”? Through this act you are now considered innocent and are freed by the bailiff.

This picture is what Jesus has done. The judge is much more powerful than any earthly judge and is able to sentence you to a sentence much worse than death row. However, Jesus steps in and he is punished instead. Because of this you are now able to stand before this judge completely innocent. No need to the clammy hands, sweat, or racing pulse. Just like passing a cop doing 5 mph under the speed limit you have nothing to fear. No punishment is coming your way. You are viewed as holy before a holy judge. This is at least one aspect the gift of holiness provides those who trust that Jesus sacrifice was enough. without this the holy judge of Heaven will dismiss the guilty from His kingdom never to be allowed entrance. No relationships, no fulfillment, no gladness, just a sense of being empty, despair, isolation, only to name the minor result of banishment from Jesus.

No more fear

Shell shock was a term first coined in 1915 used to describe soldiers who would were fatigued, shaking, stuttering, confusion, nightmares, etc. In extreme cases the soldier would not be able to perform their duties and would be granted leave to recoup. The fear of war and what they had seen would leave the soldier incapacitated and unable to carry on. It seems when Paul writes “do not be anxious about anything…”(Phil 4:6) he is echoing other scriptures and Jesus’ own words.

Growing up in the church I have been taught this means a generalized fear as in “I am afraid of snakes” or “I am afraid I will not do well on my test tomorrow”. However, knowing that the early church faced intense persecution this can’t be what is being said. There is no reason to not pray for these fears but it is likely more is meant here. In fact, it is this “weak” fear that drives action. For instance, if I am afraid for a test, I have coming up I will study for it. I want to be prepared as much as possible. I will not pray that Jesus removes that fear (the test) but that through it I can somehow glorify Him more. Through preparing due to fear I would end up with a good grade and all praise would go to God for giving me the ability to study, think, and remember. Fear, in its minor sense, is what drives productivity. If I do not fear a test, I will not prepare for it. So, some fear should be seen as good.

However, when fear becomes debilitating, we are useless. Just like a shell-shocked soldier in world war one we end up needing time away to recoup. This is the kind of fear Paul was referring to. In the face of substantial persecution Christians would often lose their nerve out of fear and be useless when needed most. This is also the kind of fear that God eliminates. Think about this why would the world war 1 solider be shell shocked? He is afraid of death. Why would the persecuted church stop telling people about Jesus? They were afraid to die. Today Christians all over are afraid of covid-19 because of the fear of death. Don’t get me wrong, this does not mean we should be reckless Christians should be looking to preserve life as much as possible. If this means staying home and not doing the things, we would love to do than so be it? But does this mean we stop caring for the poor or loving our neighbors? No way! If God is saying for His church to provide for those less fortunate than us but we refuse out of fear, we have become incapacitated and not worthy for battle. We need to pray about this and realize that in death we will receive a greater reward than anything this world has to offer. We have a hope that He has overcome death and in Him so will we. We have no reason to be afraid because getting to live means we have more opportunities to show love, compassion, and provide hope to the hurting. But if we die doing this, this means we will get to finally see Jesus and that is much better. This means if Covid-19 means the death of me so be it! I will welcome that moment with open arms and a great anticipation. However, if I live through this time, I will rejoice that I will have the opportunity to provide love and hope to those that need it.

Final thought

What is fascinating is that in the face of deepest despair the church grew the most. Why? because out of every other worldview that was offered Jesus was the only one who provided meaning and hope in the darkest of times. This is something no other faith group, ashiest, agnostic, political party, health organization, leadership, etc. can provide. When everything seems at its lowest Jesus is the only one that can provide a promise that faith in Him means never having to say goodbye. This is the hope we hold on to.