There is hope for your future, says the Lord: your children shall come back to their own country. -Jeremiah 31:17
Dear members and friends,
According to Greek mythology, hope was the last thing found in the box that Pandora opened. The troublesome box was given by Zeus as a gift with a warning to never open it. However, as expected, Pandora could not resist her curiosity and opened the box. As a result, what came out of the box was “sorrow, disease, vice, violence, greed, madness, old age, death.” Yet, before closing the box, Pandora looked inside just in case and found hope at the bottom of the box. There are three things I find interesting in this story: 1. Humans blamed Zeus (god) for all the evils and misfortune, even old age and death; 2. Human curiosity has been the cause of both blessings and curses at the same time; 3. Greeks blamed a female (Pandora) as the deliverer of all evil. However, what is truly intriguing is the meaning of the name Pandora. In Greek, it could mean either all-gifted or all-giving.
Hope could be defined in several different ways. The definition that I like is hope as “grounds for believing that something good may happen.” What is included in this definition is the predicament that the current circumstances are not favorable. Hope in this case is a perception and acknowledgement that despite the direness of current circumstances, there is a possibility that something good may happen. Therefore, having hope is not a result of knowing something good will happen, but instead intentionally choosing to believe that something good may happen despite all odds. Therefore, for those who believe in God, there is no reason not to be hopeful no matter what, simply because God always loves humans and leads us toward heaven, which is the ultimate good for us all.
My brothers and sisters in God, let us examine our hearts and see where our worries and fears come from. Then, let us bring them all to the Lord and leave them in His care, and take His yoke upon us, because He is humble and gentle in heart.
Blessings, Rev. Junchol Lee