Hope

For the Christian, hope is an emotion that arises from a passionate concern for God's glory, combined with confidence in the Scripture's assertion that one day Christ will return, will set things right, and usher in the new heavens and the new earth, where his glory fills all in all. When we have that hope the things of this world (career, family, leisure, etc.) find their proper place in our lives. They are not made the objects of ultimate hope (they cannot bear that load), nor are we resigned to mediocrity in these things. Robert Roberts has a great passage on hope in his book (see previous post):
"We send our eternal selves out prospecting on earth, where moth and rust and time consume and bad fortune breaks in and steals our hopes away. And as long as reality does not crash in to destroy the house of cards in which we dwell, we find here just enough satisfaction for our need to keep us from feeling despair--and also from enjoying faith.
"Or we make a compromise like the following: "I shall give myself without reservation to the projects and prospects of this earthly life, but just in case something goes wrong, I'll make my peace with Jesus. Religion is, after all, supposed to be a comfort in times of trouble, and let's be realistic: troubles don't always happen to the other guy. I may croak before my projects are complete, and it may be a pity if I have nothing to fall back on." As a passion for the kingdom of God, this attitude leaves something to be desired. For the mature Christian the kingdom hoped for is the focusing goal of life, to which everything else is subsidiary."