Some people say my hopes for change in the world are too idealistic. Others preach that my expectations for a good Christian community are too high.
As much as I hate to think it’s possible, I have asked myself, “Are my hopes too idealistic?” and “Why does it seem as though the word ‘idealism’ is synonymous with ‘foolishness’?”
Could a girl like me, someone who’s been largely ignored and rejected, even pray for a future so vastly different from the life I’ve known?
I’ve finally concluded that it is too idealistic. But so what? I can’t think of one person in the Bible who didn’t pray something bold.
There’s Daniel who prayed God would guard him from a den of hungry lions.
Or King Hezekiah who pleaded with God to add more years to his life, though his death was imminent.
Neither person accepted their fate, even when it seemed sealed and final. Instead, they prayed anyway, and dared to hope that God would hear them.
I can’t think of one person in the Bible who didn’t pray something bold.
My prayers for friendship and to be someone who causes long-lasting change may seem foolish. But however idealistic my hopes and prayers are, as a Christian I cannot be completely broken, because heaven is a place where idealism is the standard, not the exception.
How powerful is that? Even after death there is hope for the Christian.
It takes courage and faith to hope in things that seem impossible. I don’t mean we should cling to some abstract idea that we think will give us more joy than being in God’s presence. But I’m learning to hope that God will take whatever evil is done to us and use it for good.
That’s the beauty of praying bold prayers: we risk leaving ourselves completely at the mercy of God.
On one hand, we risk the possibility that our hopes will be deferred or denied. But as we pray anyway, we’re really trusting that whatever happens, it will be for a good reason.
This is an excerpt. Read Jocelyn’s full story: Idealism: Dare to hope
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