ABSTRACT
Hope. Neither a community of one nor a community of many can be built without hope. Henri Nouwen (2001) talks about hope being an expectation we have for the future. He says,
The paradox of expectation is that those who believe in tomorrow can better live today; those who expect joy to come out of sadness can discover the beginnings of a new life amid the old; those who look forward to the returning Lord can discover him already in their midst. (p. 62)
No one can go through the intense pain of circumstances, the agony of facing their fears, the risks of learning new skills, or access the courage to move forward without hope. The hope I’m talking about is not wishful thinking, such as “I hope I’ll get a raise in my next paycheck” or “I hope it works out for me to go to the Bahamas this summer” or “I hope I’ll win the lottery” or “I hope that dress I want will still be on sale when I get to the mall.” Even though those things might happen, and they could be motivating factors pushing someone to work some extra hours at his or her job, they are not a satisfactory driving force in one’s life.
