Prelude: Discovering the Other Side of Hope
Start writing a post
Lifestyle

Prelude: Discovering the Other Side of Hope

Hope’s absence is an undeniably abrasive indictment.

954
Prelude: Discovering the Other Side of Hope
Pexels.com

My husband no longer hopes I’ll do the laundry.

Now, of course, I am immediately aware of the inherent benefits of such a reality. In no longer hoping I will do the laundry, my husband inadvertently frees me from the obligation, right? If there is no expectation, there is no burden. No harm, no foul.

But my husband and I didn’t get here because he was so generous as to have willingly freed me from the ills of this domestic duty. He didn’t just wake up one day and decide, “Alas! I love my wife too much to expect her to do the laundry!”

Nope.

My husband no longer hopes I’ll do the laundry…

because I’m terrible at doing laundry.

My doing the laundry is literally a week-long affair be-speckled by convenient diversions, complaining, monologuing and metaphorical declarations of laundry’s detriment to the world.

I am dramatic when I do the laundry— and slow, and avoidant. And so my husband often ends up (precious soul that he is) finishing the laundry I’ve started in order to avoid having to listen to yet another litany of sighing as I angrily flop our clothes into a folded pile.

But as comedic as this may all sound, having a husband who no longer hopes you’ll help with the laundry is depressing. Last week, when he finally told me he no longer hopes to get a laundry partner out of me, my husband also explained that he had trouble trusting that I’ll actually finish the laundry when I start it or that I will help with it when he starts it. All my diverting, complaining, monologuing and declaring had effectively changed his view of my character.

There is something incredibly just about my husband’s loss of hope. In fact, when you think about it, his loss of hope is outright self-protective! Why would he get his hopes up that I’ll help him with the laundry if I haven’t proven myself in the past?

Hope in anything brings along with it a statement of truth about the thing hoped for. Hope declares that expecting a certain outcome isn’t shameful or vain because the thing hoped for is good for and worthy of the investment hope makes.

Consequently, Hope teaches us rather effectively that investing expectation in the untrustworthy is foolish. We should not hope that the iron boat will float. We should not hope that the paper chair will support our weight.

And we usually don’t.

Last week, I learned that the other side of hope is the truth about its object. Only that which consistently produces Good, that which has proven that it can meet the expectation of one’s optimism, sufficiently upholds the weight of hope.

And hope’s absence? Hope’s absence is an undeniably abrasive indictment.

Hope removed is trustworthiness contested.

This week, the fuel of a husband’s lost hope in his wife was enough to propel me out of inertia’s grip and into the utility room of our apartment. I am happy to say that I started and helped complete the laundry without any diverting, complaining or monologuing… and in just one day.

As I look back at the debris of my collision with lost hope, I can’t help but wonder about Hope’s unrightfully abandoned. In a world beset by unruly, disordered arrangements, there is that which has proven it consistently produces Good. There is that which meets the expectation of all optimism without ever earning the hope of even the most hopeful.

When the hope-worthy is denied its due, Truth and a sound memory become the perfect remedies. We must always seek the truth about that for which we hope and persistently recall the validity of claims about its trustworthiness. In this, we unceasingly commit ourselves to testing our hope— and the absence thereof— against the character of its object. And we grow more and more skilled in avoiding the folly of vain anticipation.

5 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
(Romans 5:1-8 NIV)

~ Inspired by Adrienne ~

Originally published on Medium.com.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

17234
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

946209
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

122938
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lots of people sat on the cinema wearing 3D glasses
Pinterest

Ever wonder what your friend meant when they started babbling about you taking their stapler? Or how whenever you ask your friend for a favor they respond with "As You Wish?" Are you looking for new and creative ways to insult your friends?

Well, look no further. Here is a list of 70 of the most quotable movies of all time. Here you will find answers to your questions along with a multitude of other things such as; new insults for your friends, interesting characters, fantastic story lines, and of course quotes to log into your mind for future use.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments