We Offer a Dangerous Hope
When Andy is released from solitary confinement in the Shawshank Redemption, he returns to his inmate friends to regale how his stunt playing opera music over the loudspeaker system was worth it because music lives within him and offers him hope for something better. Red replies:
In a recent issue of Time Magazine about why we should have optimism (hope) about where the world is heading, Bill Gates served as guest editor. The introductory article said, "It's probably not surprising that Bill Gates' approach to optimism is rooted in hard figures, specifically in statistics around child mortality rates, poverty lines, and disease rates. Science is numbers, and numbers tell the truth."
Among other messages our teens are receiving, this is the common worldview: Hope is found in numbers. Science is in numbers. Numbers tell the truth.
That's a safe worldview. Not dangerous. Not at all.
Numbers are great. We want to see advancements in research and science. We want to discover all we can, but we are limited. Our hope, our optimism is not in numbers or science.
It's in Jesus.
What is more daring: To put our stake in something we can see and measure or to put our stake into one person who changed everything? The safe route is to trust ourselves. The dangerous route is to trust Him. We dare to say that Jesus is greater than science, greater than numbers or research or our capacity to understand, greater than even our suffering or joy. Jesus invites our teens to dare greatly in Him, to dare that their grades and social status and worldly dreams will never be enough.
Are we relaying this message or are our teens hearing that our hope rests elsewhere? Are we communicating with the example of our lives and not just the words of our preaching? Are we inviting our young people to live dangerously?
Hope is a dangerous thing, but it's also the best thing next to love. "So hope, faith, and love remain, but the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13). There's no mention of numbers in there. Andy reminded Red of this truth, and we are called to remind ourselves and our young people.
Live dangerously. Put your hope in Jesus Christ.
Red is right. Hope is dangerous. It's what we offer our young people if we communicate it right.
We are competing for their attention. The other things our teens are offered are packaged nicely and scream LOOK AT ME!
Among other messages our teens are receiving, this is the common worldview: Hope is found in numbers. Science is in numbers. Numbers tell the truth.
That's a safe worldview. Not dangerous. Not at all.
Numbers are great. We want to see advancements in research and science. We want to discover all we can, but we are limited. Our hope, our optimism is not in numbers or science.
It's in Jesus.
What is more daring: To put our stake in something we can see and measure or to put our stake into one person who changed everything? The safe route is to trust ourselves. The dangerous route is to trust Him. We dare to say that Jesus is greater than science, greater than numbers or research or our capacity to understand, greater than even our suffering or joy. Jesus invites our teens to dare greatly in Him, to dare that their grades and social status and worldly dreams will never be enough.
Are we relaying this message or are our teens hearing that our hope rests elsewhere? Are we communicating with the example of our lives and not just the words of our preaching? Are we inviting our young people to live dangerously?
Hope is a dangerous thing, but it's also the best thing next to love. "So hope, faith, and love remain, but the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13). There's no mention of numbers in there. Andy reminded Red of this truth, and we are called to remind ourselves and our young people.
Live dangerously. Put your hope in Jesus Christ.
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