Friedrich Nietzsche once wrote, “Hope is the worst of evils, for it prolongs the torment of man.” Fortunately, most of us would disagree.

If you were to ask 10 people what hope is, you would probably get 10 different answers. According to Colossians 1, hope is the wellspring of faith and love. Hope is not just a realization of something in the future, but rather, it is something that radically changes the here and the now.

In 1965, a man by the name of Richard Wurmbrand testified before the US Senate’s Internal Security Subcommittee. Wurmbrand took off his shirt at that meeting to show the scars and burn marks on his body from years of torture. He had spent 14 years in Communist prisons in Romania and had been ransomed out of the country by Christians for $10,000. In his book, Tortured for Christ, Wurmbrand tells of the torture Christians endured in prison. The torturers broke 4 vertebrae in Wurmbrand’s back, as well as many other bones. He had 18 holes burned and cut in his body. He recalls times that he was put in a freezer until he was close to death only to be “thawed out” and returned again and again.

When asked how he endured  and resisted all the torture he experienced in his lifetime, Wurmbrand said, “if the heart is cleansed by the love of Jesus Christ, one can resist all tortures.” His focus on God’s love got him through 14 years of torture. Hope is living transcendent to your current condition; it is having an eternal perspective. It was through hope that Wurmbrand loved his tormentors and was not broken. Hope doesn’t prolong suffering, it perfects our love. Only when we hope can we live transcendent of our circumstance and love. Wurmbrand said, “God will judge us not according to how much we endured, but how much we could love.”

            “What exactly is it that you want?” asked the sage of the young man. “It has taken you quite awhile to seek my council, so you must have some idea at this point.”

“well…” stuttered the unsure boy as he searched for the best answer he could come up with. “I guess I want a companion, yeah, that’s the word I was looking for.” Getting more sure of himself, the young man continued. “I’ve always wanted someone to like me, to want to be with me, to appreciate me.”

“It sounds like that’s what you're looking for in all your relationships, is it?”  replied the sage. This rare visit from the young man was quite unexpected and for the most part the sage had been on the listening end.

“Absolutely. I want the people around me to like me; I want friends that re-fuel me, people that are fun to be around. I guess that’s what I want from her as well and that’s why I’m thinking of asking her to be my wife.”

“What is it that you like about her?” questioned the sage.

“A few years ago I made a list of 12 things I was looking for in a partner.  All the other girls I’ve dated only met a few, but this one fits almost all of my standards.  I just hope things don’t fall apart like last time.”

Though the sage could have pierced the young man with harsh words, he stayed peaceful. “I am disturbed by the way you look at relationships young man. It seems that the only constant in all the things you want is you wanting them.”

“Huh?”

“You’ve set up your criteria for others to even be considered your friends. Some meet your standard and some don’t, correct?”

“Yeah, so?” said the puzzled young man.

“It seems that the only persons interests you are looking out for are your own. What if you started looking to the best interests of others? What if you did things that were best for those around you?  We were all meant to be in relationships and being in relationships means putting someone before yourself, putting your passions and desires second to them. Every person has an intrinsic need not only to be known, but to know others. Only when you decide to start giving to those around you, looking to their best interests, will the hole inside you be filled.”

“I've never thought about it like that before,” said the young man as he began fidgeting. “I should probably think about what you've said." His eyes began to wander as he thought of a way to end the conversation. "Well, It looks like it’s about time for me to go. I have been asking God to give me someone for along time; he does so much for me. I’m pretty sure she is the one, but I’ll definitely think about what you’ve said. You know, it's been a long time since I've come to hear from you and now that I think about it, I forgot your name sage?”

“My name,” replied the sage, “is Humility.”