I speak a lot about hope. Here are some of my favorite definitions and statements about hope:



• Hope is the joyful expectation of good coming
• Hope is an overall optimistic attitude about the future based on the goodness and promises of God
• Hope is the belief that the future will be better than the present, and I/we have the power to help make it so
• Hope is the fruit of good beliefs
• Our hope level determines our influence level

I want to add one today: Hope is excited about the future. The more hope we have, the more excited we will be about the days ahead. 

Excitement is a feeling of great enthusiasm and eagerness. It is what children feel before Christmas morning. They don’t know what good things are coming, but they know something good is coming. This is the way hope thinks: “I am excited about what God is going to do in the days ahead and to see what gifts He has for me.”

Hope causes us to feel alive and energetic. Where there is no hope, there is no enthusiasm or eagerness for what will happen next. “Without a vision the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18). 

My hope level determines my excitement level for what lies ahead. If I have a lot of hope, I will have a lot of enthusiasm about what is going to happen. If I do not have much hope, then I will not have much excitement but will be problem-focused, apathetic, and bored. 

“Now may the God of hope fill you . . . in believing” (Romans 15:13). Increasing hope is the evidence we are renewing our minds with truth instead of lies. Decreasing hope is the evidence we are renewing our minds with lies instead of truth. Another way of saying this is increasing excitement about the future is an indicator we are renewing our minds with truth and not lies. 

But what if you or I are not excited about the future? Should we feel bad about that? No, but it is good information (because our lack of hope is mainly a belief issue, not a circumstantial issue). The question to ask when we lack hope is, “What do I need to believe to have hope?” And, we will know we are starting to believe the right things when our excitement for the future starts growing. 

As you think about your future today, do you feel fear or excitement? If your first feeling is fear, it is a good indicator there are some belief upgrades you could make about your future. Let us stir up hope about what good things God has in store for us! Instead of wondering “What if something bad happens?” let’s ask, “What if something good happens?”