Where is Hope?
By Lily Yang
Each generation has its own life event. To my father who grew up in Japan during World War II it was April 18, 1942, the first air raid by the Americans was his unforgettable life event. To me, it maybe September 11, 2001, the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. I was attending a conference at St. Louis, Missouri and remember realizing the country was no longer as safe as I’d believed it to be. To many south-eastern Asians, the event could be the Tsunami of 2004’s Christmas.
In 2008, the Sichuan earthquake in China, the Beijing Olympics, the election, and the global financial crisis affected many people. The headlines of Wall Street Journal have everyday been full of layoffs of major corporations of the world, investment scandals, and national scale economy failures. And the forecast of economy of 2009 shows very limited improvement.
At the most dark moment, what we all need is hope. We all crave hope. The good news is that our Father does give us the gift of hope. In his word there are many passages regarding hope. The hope our Father gives us is not like some empty wish in the Christmas cards or birthday cards. It is not just wishful thinking or blind optimistic words. The hope he promises is not based on people or environment. It is not that we try to think positively that things will soon turn better or we will change the way we see things. The hope he gives is based on himself: “I have hope: Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:21-23) The word also says: “So that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:7)
Isn’t it wonderful that he absolved all our past failures and that every day is a fresh new day? He also assures us of our future. This is the true hope that we already have and cannot be taken; the hope that is based on his promise that he will provide us, fight for us, protect us and be with us no matter what happens.
In this issue, we ask a few young people who they have voted and why. We hope to better understand the younger generation and each other. In the interview with Eric Vogen, an experienced investment advisor, he shares with us how to be a wise and peaceful steward of our wealth. Esther Liu continues with her series inspecting Jesus’ humanity in detail showing that the salvation is for the whole person – spiritual, physical, and social.
We welcome your feedback and suggestions.
Lily Yang