Misplaced Hope

Chuck on January 25th, 2010

Hope is not something college age people struggle with.  Well, typically.  Most are extremely hopeful for what the future holds.  They look forward to a career path, family life, you know, life after college.  Most view college as a preparatory stage (which it is) for a successful life (which depends on how success is defined).  But a sense of hope in what’s to come is not hard to come by when working with college students.

But when the word “hope” is used, it’s more like wishful thinking than biblical hope.

The New Testament always points us toward placing our hope in what is certain to come.  A career is not certain and especially so today.  Nothing in this world is.

Put another way, when people say or inherently think a college education gives them hope for the future, they have sadly misplaced their hope.  In fact, according to scripture, they might not have “hope” at all.  I know a bachelor degree is pretty much a necessity in our culture, but it’s not a proper placement of hope.

One of the most important roles for those of us working with college age people is helping people place their hope in the right thing – or person.  Instead of having hope in a successful career or a better family life than they grew up with, as believers our hope ought to be fully in what’s to be received at the coming of Christ (1 Peter 1:13).  I’m not saying it’s easy to have our hope fully placed here, but that doesn’t make it any less true.  This is the only thing we can truly be certain of.

I recently read an article in USA Today called, “Outlook For Job Market Is Grim.”  It’s a pretty thorough article that I’d recommend you reading.  It gives some perspective to what college grads ought to be looking forward to – or dreading, whichever way you look at it.  But maybe the “grim future” of the job market can be a means for us to get college age people to think through where they are placing their hope.

Recommendation for today: pay attention to where people place their hope.  If it’s misplaced in things of this world, be intentional about helping them adjust that.

Oh, and we might want to check ourselves as well…

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Share Discuss (4)

Timotheos at 7:23am January 26

Great reminder. Thanks, Chuck.

Yikes at 7:59am January 28

Dale, speaking as a volunteer student ministry leader – what is difficult to find around my church are adult mentors who actually model what it means to place our hope in Christ. Our own lives need to be an example of how this is applicable and pragmatic, however, they way we run our businesses and households and yes, our church, sends a message that we are concentrating on other things in life besides our hope in Christ. I have looked for older adult mentors who could model “hope in Christ” for the college students – - and I’m still looking.