There are many people and other sources where one can try and find guidance in life. You can ask your parents, teachers, or friends. You can read self-help books, autobiographies, or the Bible. One such book is Engaging God’s World: A Christian Vision of Faith, Learning, and Living written by Cornelius Plantinga Jr. In his book Plantinga walks through the topics of longing and hope, the creation of man, the fall of man, our redemption, and vocation as it pertains to God’s kingdom. Much of what Plantinga writes about I agreed with and found to be applicable to my own life. There are also some ideas that I can apply to my vocational search and my current occupation. The first idea that caught my attention was what Plantinga wrote about what makes up genuine hope. Plantinga, in his section on longing and hope, tells us that a Lewis Smedes believes hope is comprised of three different pieces. These pieces of hope are that a “hopeful person imagines a good state of affairs, … believes …show more content…
Plantinga explains how someone who simply accepts what God has called us to do on his Earth is a good citizen of the kingdom of Heaven. He also says that those who are passionate about God’s calling to us are prime citizens. The main goal of all Christians is to become prime citizens. Plantinga also frames it as someone who is a prime citizen is a person with a calling to bring God’s kingdom to Earth. This came as a comfort and a challenge to me. It was a comfort because I felt like I could feel that I had found my calling. My calling, along with all Christians, is to further God’s kingdom and bring it to Earth. This includes at my job at JPs. That is where the challenge is. The challenge is that I now need to try and be a prime citizen at work and everywhere else I go in my life. Even if I am not explicitly talking about God or Jesus Christ, I need to let my actions be proof of my prime citizenship to God’s
What is the director ultimately saying about the ways in which hope affects the individual?
I chose Hope as my "core" belief topic because I'm going through a really hard season right now. Unfortunately, my vapor of hope is the only thing I have left to cling to. I heard it come in handy in times of struggles. As a result, I'm hoping that by spewing kindness and geniualy care for someone else that possibly I would reap what I so.
The poem “Hope is the thing with feathers” states that hope is an ever-present force in one’s soul that sustains one through hard times, although it isn’t rational. This ideal of hope having ‘feathers’ and being the strength that keeps one going is seen throughout Of Mice and Men. Wishes sustain most of the characters, and although these dreams aren’t a concrete thing, they are still drawn to the possibility of a better life. Hope keeps people afloat in hard times, and gives them a reason for living. It’s best to view hope as the maiden in the tower-beautiful, yet unreachable. It’s something to aspire to, but hope can’t achieve anything without work. Hope is something everyone is drawn to, but is only hoping. Wishing doesn’t make things happen.
The continuous reading of Cornelius Plantinga Jr.’s book Engaging God’s World: A Christian Vision of Faith, Learning, and Living, has left me lingering on a lot of thoughts towards my relationship with God. In the conclusion of his book, Plantinga focuses on the redemptive qualities of God as well the the redemptive possibilities of mankind. Another main subject is the vocation in the Kingdom of God, correspondingly the Bible says in Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God- what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Plantinga (2002) states clearly, “given Jesus’ summons, his followers have always understood that to be a ‘Christ person’
"Hope - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary." Dictionary and Thesaurus - Merriam-Webster Online. Merriam-Webster. Web. 24 July 2011. .
Hope is the expectation and the desire for an event to happen. For many people, having hope is to see a reality with a positive feeling. From hope, faith comes in. Having faith in something unrealistic motivates people to keep moving forward and try the best of their abilities to make something happen. Most of today’s religions, especially Christianity, based most of their doctrine on the faith of salvation from Jesus Christ‘s sacrifice and the hope of living for eternity, if we obey the laws of God in accordance with the Bible.
In the poem “from Preface to God’s Determination” basically says God does everything. He says “who” multiple times referring to God. In line nineteen he says “Who? who did this? or who is he? Why, know” then in line twenty he says “It’s only Might Almighty this did do” stating that God did all that and you can do anything through him. In line sixteen he says “To go at once both down, and up to get.” meaning no matter how low or down you get there is always God there to pick you back up. You always have someone behind you. You always have a friend even if you think you do not have any, you do. You always have someone to make you smile when you are at your worst. When you think you have hit rock bottom you have someone to talk to, and lastly you will always have someone that loves you.
Throughout history, humanity has found a guide. It can be seen as many things, a light at the end of the tunnel, a force pushing one forward, or even a lifeline. There are many ways to describe such a concept but, it can be simplified down to one word, hope. Hope can be defined in many different ways but, most widely can be defined as a feeling of expectation or desire for a certain thing to happen. In life and literature, hope can be the most powerful force in a person's life.
What is hope? Hope is the feeling of desire for a certain thing to happen. Hope is something that even when everything goes wrong you still believe that there is still good somewhere. Hope is something that even the toughest people will feel. Hope relates to the theme in S.E Hinton’s, The Outsiders. The theme of this story, is just because something bad happens, that doesn’t mean that you can’t stop living life to the fullest, and even when the going gets tough you still have to have hope that it will get better.
“Hope is defined as the action of wishing or desiring that something will occur.” Hope helps people move forward in life to see what’s coming next for them. For example, “I had no right to let myself die. What would he do without me? I was his sole support” (Wiesel, “Night”.) This quote explains the effects of hope in a pitiful situation. Eliezer Wiesel and his father were torn apart, mentally and physically from everything they
What we hope for is not always what we need. This is prevalent in the novel “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston where the characters have his or her dream crushed for the sake of fate. This is especially true for Janie who strives throughout the novel to have her dream of “the pear tree” realized, and Hurston shows this using a variation of metaphor, imagery, and personification.
Plantinga’s (2002) book Engaging God’s World consists of five parts: “Longing and Hope,” “Creation,” “The Fall,” “Redemption,” and “Vocation in the Kingdom of God.” Throughout the work, Plantinga references public speakers and activists, lyricists, philosophers, saints, and authors to help his audience connect to his perspective.
Francis Thompson lived in London at the end of the nineteenth century. He led a life that was often out of accord with the will of God, but repented near the end of his life and found God. He wrote an autobiographical poem, "The Hound of Heaven", based on his experiences. By analyzing this poem and Thompson's message, we can learn the truth of the statement "God's greatest attribute is His mercy."
You do not need to be in the dark when you know where to turn. You can find the answers you need right here. It is important to invest in a book that would give you the requisite peace you desire. You can reinvent yourself and brace up for new opportunities. Life is not to be lived in a ditch.
The simple notion that they can achieve something they want allows people to keep finding ways to advance themselves so that they can reach what they want. It also allows people to push themselves so that they can not be complacent with where they are, and show that they are hungry for more success and show that failure is not an option for them. The same study showed that the level of hope for a person can affect their mental health dramatically. They have noticed that people with lower levels of hope have shown weaker work ethics, less social interaction, strong signs of depression, and some have even reported thoughts of suicide.