In Cornelius Plantinga's book, Engaging God's World, Chapter One talks about the longing, hope and yearning that people have. The chapter also talked about how longing is an ingredient of hope. Because of this hope that humans have, we are able to long for shalom, which is the "webbing together of God, humans, and all creation in justice, fulfillment, and delight." In other words, as people of God, we are constantly hoping for peace.
People are always longing and hoping for things. A child often has the hopes of becoming an adult and having much more freedom, while an adult often longs for their past, when life was so much more simple. Living in a sinful world causes us always to be unsatisfied. We are yearning for something more, because we often become frustrated with earthly problems and want to know the peace that will come someday.
As a Christian, I can rest in the fact that I will never completely have to lose hope. I have the hope of someday being able to be taken off this sinful earth and get to be with Jesus Christ in heaven, and also on the new earth. Another example that Plantinga gave of someone who had hope and longing was Martin Luther King, Jr. His "I have a dream" speech inspired millions of people and still inspires people today. Although faced with endless adversity through his campaign of equal treatment, he never was in despair and always had a goal in sight; he always hoped. I think he is a great example of what true longing and hoping is. God has given us hope and longing for better times, and I believe he wants us to be his stewards on this earth to keep the hope alive and to tell others about the hope that we have. 1 Peter 3:15-16 makes this very clear: "But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander."
Good comments.
ReplyDeleteLonging for Shalom...
adriana
I like how you talk about a child's wants and how adults long to go back to childhood. I have thought about is quite often. As children we are often times so sheltered from the bad things in the world and we just get to play and enjoy God's creation. As adults we have more responsibility and are more aware of what the world is really like so we long to go back to being innocent like a child. We can learn a lot from children by simply not thinking so much and just enjoying what God gave us everyday.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree with Abigail. It is almost humorous the ironic transition we have of longing. It is a testament to the idea that the grass is always greener on the other side. We hope and long for things that even if we "attain" them we are not fully satisfied. There will always be something out of our reach or a past that looks more appealing.
ReplyDelete