Here's to Hoping...

I think it is safe to say that "hope" is pretty much the theme of my life. 

It's my middle name. 
It is something I try to live by.
It is included in the title of this blog, for goodness sake!

But last night, I realized I don't really know what hope means. 
What is hoping? Is it simply believing there is light at the end of the tunnel? Or is it something more? 

Modern day people equate hoping with wishful thinking.

The dictionary defines hope as "A feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen."

But what does the Bible have to say about hope? 

In the bible, hope is a "confident expectation". Confident. That one word makes all the difference. 

The Bible also says that hope applies to things we do not see:

Romans 8:24-25 For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one also hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

So, if I truly live with hope, what does that mean? 
That means I am living in confident expectation that God will fulfill his promises. 
That I am confident that my dreams will come to fruition. 

I want to live out hope - not just claim it.