Hope – Pandora, People & Paul

I often return to Pandora’s box…

…Zeus gave Pandora a box but warned her never to open it. Pandora was curious and couldn’t stay away from it. Eventually she opened the box and all manner of horrible things flew out – disease, hunger, greed, hatred, grief, pain, poverty, war, death… All of life’s miseries were released into the world.

Pandora slammed the lid of the box shut… She peeped into the box again. The only thing left in the box was hope.

Even when the worst, out of control, experiences and situations have been let out of life’s box, hope still remains…

Yesterday I met several people whose Pandora’s box had been opened; they were watching their troubles flying around them.

Janice has financial problems and doesn’t know how she can manage her growing debts… Jack’s in constant pain with an ongoing problem with his back… Julian has a very sick daughter for whom the prognosis is not good… Jenny struggles with her husband who has dementia… Jill has been scammed and fears that money may be taken from her bank account… Jess fears for her teenage daughter…

All of them hope that things can be sorted out. None of them can see how, or when. Life’s tough for them at the moment.

This morning I read: ‘If we hope for what we do not yet see, we wait for it patiently.’

Paul, writing about a loving God who has a plan for us, says that hope is about:

Revelation… The present under the Christmas tree: we can’t yet see what it is, but one day we shall.

Release… The captive, handcuffed prisoner: once the key unlocks the cuffs there will be freedom.

Resolution… The unanswered, apparently unanswerable, questions: problems will be resolved and answers given.

Renewal… The guarantee: damaged, faulty, broken goods, promises, relationships will be replaced with faultless and new.

Reassurance… The certainty: one day bad will be turned into good… perhaps not today, but it will happen!