The Object of Christian Hope

Shauna: I'm Shauna with Joni Eareckson Tada: Sharing Hope. Thank you for joining us. Well Joni, if you don't mind me saying, you are one of the most hope-filled Christians I have ever met. I want you to know how much you inspire me, but more so, this intrigues me because as I've watched you, your hope seems like a driving force that helps you persevere. Would you mind unpacking that for us today?
Joni Eareckson Tada: To me, hope is what keeps me persevering. Have you ever seen that cartoon of a stubborn donkey hitched to an overloaded cart? He won't move; he just lies down under his load. So the driver goes and gets a long pole and hangs a big carrot on the end of it. Then he sits on the cart while holding the pole that dangles the juicy carrot in front of the donkey. The donkey sees that carrot, gets up, and off he goes, pulling that heavy load all because he can see his reward in sight. Our donkey does not mind the heaviness of his load. Now, maybe that's not the best analogy, but it's got some truth in it because I don't want to lie down under my load here on Earth. Rather, my hope is in Christ himself and in the certainty of his promise of future glory. I'm gone for glory. My hope looks forward to what God has guaranteed for the future. I may not be able to see that invisible kingdom, but like Romans 8:25 says, "If you hope for what you cannot see, we wait for it with patience." Patience and perseverance have a way of stretching my hope over time. I think hope keeps me pressing forward because it fixes my eyes on God's promises, a little like that donkey striving for the carrot. I'm striving forward rather than getting too comfortable in my present circumstances. I want you to know I do not persevere because I am naturally resilient or that I have mastered endurance. I persevere through suffering and affliction because I am convinced that God's promises cannot fail. I am promised that one day sin is going to be no more, that there will be a new heavens and a new earth, and that I will enter a world that is more glorious than I can possibly imagine. I'm promised that one day I will see departed loved ones, that I will have a new wonderful body, and best of all, I'm promised that I'll see Jesus, the one who sacrificed everything to rescue us from hell. All this is just a small part of what makes my hope so exciting. I can endure my present sufferings because I know what God has promised. I hold fast to Hebrews 6:18. It says there, "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." So let's forget the analogy of the donkey and the carrot because who knows? That poor donkey may never reach that carrot, but we will. We will have our reward. Hope says God will fulfill his promise, and perseverance says therefore I'll keep trusting him until he does. Shauna, I trust I've explained as best I can why hope for me is such a driving force.
Shauna: You sure have, Joni, and thank you. Your words are inspiring because you speak them from your wheelchair. I know everyone listening thanks you for unpacking how hope and perseverance work together. Listening friend, Joni has written more about this in her new book, Keeping Faith When Life Hurts. So if you want to stretch your hope, just visit joniradio.org and get all the details about this special new volume from our Joni Eareckson Tada because she is all about sharing hope.