Achievement, belief, anticipation, desire, goal, expectation, wish, promise, want, presume………we may use any of these words to convey hope. But hope in what?

At this time of year children and adults may hope for good exam or test results; I might hope that I don’t need to water the plants tonight; I hope that my family has a safe journey when they go on holiday. Hope can apply to an individual or a group. It can be a positive or negative desire. We have surely seen this in the news clips recently.

Without thought, our hopes may be inappropriate or show a lack of understanding. As in all situations, we can refer to the Bible for support. In Romans we read:

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

You may enjoy the books and gifts about Hope that we stock in Oasis. I HOPE you come into the shop to have a look at them.