| The act of hope can feel almost reckless when we look at the world around us. Jobs, plans, and lives stolen by COVID-19 pandemic have made many of us hesitant to look forward to much of anything. And yet, we may still find ourselves longing to hope, or reading Bible verses that encourage us to continue to do so. But how can we?
In “French’s Two Words for ‘Hope’ Helped Me Endure the Pandemic,” Syntyche D. Dahou describes espoir and espérance, the two French words for hope. While espoir tends to refer to wanting something that may or may not happen (“I hope our vacation won’t be ruined by Omicron”), espérance hope anchored in certainty (“I hope for Jesus to return”).
Espérance, Dahou explains, is the type of hope we have as Christians. “[This hope] rests on the infallible promises of our God, who knows the plans he has for us, his children—plans of peace and not misfortune, to give us a hope and a future (Jer. 29:11).”
Check out Dahou’s essay for an encouraging perspective on hoping in the Lord. Originally written in French, her piece was one of the four winners of Christianity Today’s First International Essay Contest. The others are all linked for you below. May you find your espérance strengthened by these stories of God’s faithfulness all around the world. |
