Hope: The Goal and Desire That Gets Results!

This is gonna sound funny, but I just had a ministry moment at my Parish Finance Council Meeting. When I sit at meetings like this, believe it or not, I have nothing to say. Let's just say that I'm a tad outta my league, and am very happy to let this part of the think tank do all the thinking. Tonight was no different, but in my listening I heard one member offer a statement that brought a concept of our faith into clear view. The word "goal" was used in a statement, as in looking ahead and setting goals for the future. One of the members stated that they preferred the term "desired result" instead of "goals". This prompted another member to add that maybe "hope" was the better term. But the person who likes "desired results" thought that the term "hope" might not have enough "umph" to it, or measurability. This got me thinking about the Gospel, and the whole WWJD thing. What would Jesus prefer? With respect to our faith, should we have goals or desired results? I would argue that both terms would be fine in planning one's journey of faith, but another term might be "more better!" :) The term is HOPE! I would say that a GOAL involves a victory that comes after much effort and hard work! This process seems to involve research and dreaming, but the key word is "victory". I would say that achieving a DESIRED RESULT also comes with much effort and hard work, but the term seems to imply that the outcome was understood from the beginning, and the culmination of the process is simply a measured and understood result. I'm not 100% sure, but I would maintain that nowhere in the Scripture do the terms "goal" or "desired result" appear. The term HOPE, however, appears quite frequently. It's most popular appearance is of course it's listing as one of the big three of FAITH, HOPE AND LOVE in St. Paul's Letter to the Corinthians. HOPE seems to involve the similar elements that "goals" and "desired results" have, but it is unique in that it involves trusting a promise. St. Paul promises that with Christ one can have a new life. Christ promises that in living this new life, one can have life everlasting! With those kind of promises, one can live with HOPE, and it is in that hope that one becomes motivated to work hard and give supreme effort. So let me offer my thanks to tonight's Parish Finance Council Meeting for giving me some great stuff to pray about. I would say that I prefer the term HOPE, for it is HOPE that gives us the purpose to dream dreams, set goals, and work for desired results. It is also HOPE that gives us the courage to keep trying, especially when we falls short of the victory of achieving goals, or being able to relish in results. It is HOPE that breeds goals and desires that will some day get the ultimate result. Because of the promise made by our Father in heaven, HOPE will always keep us alive!