Where do you put your hope? It seems that often we flail around trying to find something secure to latch onto.

You probably know where I’m headed with this. This is a faith-based blog, remember?

Hope is in such short supply these days. Where you put your hope will tell you an awful lot about yourself.

For the last few days, we’ve been exposed to impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump. I have chosen to mostly leave politics out of my blog. It’s just not what it’s about.

It occurred to me, though, that participants and spectators on both sides of the issue have hopes as to the results. They either want Mr. Trump to be gone or for him to stay put.

I suppose the hope is if they get the results they want, then all will be made right with the country.

Where do you put your hope? Perhaps it’s in politics and politicians.

Well, proper, ethical government led by statesmen (and women) of integrity sure can’t hurt. But that is not the ultimate fix. I promise it won’t forever fix you or me.

Know why? It’s transitory. I’ve been around long enough to see good leaders and bad leaders. Unfortunately, you can’t always count on folks to do the right thing.

Other sources of hope? I won’t unpack all these, but some possible hope givers might be:

• Science. It gives us hope of a better world and the answer to many of life’s dilemmas.
• Relationships. If you are in proper relation to friends and family, all’s well.
• Education. That fixes everything, because the more you know, the happier you are.
• Employment. If you have a job you’re satisfied with, you’re totally fine in all areas of your life, especially if you’re making plenty of money.

Am I communicating irony effectively here?

Because, while nothing I’ve mentioned is inherently bad, none of these is permanent. Scientific findings are routinely overturned. Relationships go south. Education might just produce smart people with no wisdom. And jobs are lost.

I am not anti-science, relationships, education, employment, or politics.

I am anti-false hope. People can and will disappoint you. Circumstances, improperly evaluated, can overcome you.

Here is what I’m pro, and this isn’t true of just me. We’re talking universals here:

I say without hesitation that my hope is in God.

This is simple, but it’s actually more profound than it seems at first blush.

Truth is, whatever the future may hold, it will hold more and more of Him. So what else can your future be but happy and full of Him?

I am a realist when it comes to these things. I acknowledge the chasm between what I know to be true and how I’m actually feeling at any given point.

Mark it down: If you don’t have hope, it’s not His fault.

There are all sorts of dynamics that go into us descending into depression and hopelessness. Been there, done that (the depression part, anyway. Never have I been hopeless,  but I do recognize that you may flirt with that.)

I know that you can’t simply choose not to be depressed.

Where do you put your hope? In God, certainly. Nothing else. So I wil invest myself and my mental emotional energy in something I know is immutable and unchanging. That’s the love of God.

Don’t try to find answers to the mysteries of the world.

Some things this side of eternity you’ll never understand. It’s always appropriate to ask “Why?” God, however, is not obligated to give you an answer.

Learn to know God more and more. Not just in a head knowledge fashion, but in an intimate way. It’s embracing the person of Jesus Christ, God made man.

While you may not have the concrete answers you’d like to have, you can be assured of His presence and understanding. Even when you don’t understand yourself.

More than knowing a bunch of stuff, know Him.

And relax.