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HOPE

Hope is one of the Theological virtues Thisforward to the eternal world is not (as so, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do It does not mean that we are to leave the present world as it is If you read history you will find that the Christians who did ht most of the next The Apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roes, the English Evangelicals who abolished the Slave Trade, all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have becoet earth &039;thrown in&039;: aie rule, but so like it can be seen at work in other , but the moment you make health one of yourthere is soet health provided you want other things ames, work, fun, open air In the sa as civilisation is ourelse even more

Most of us find it very difficult to want &039;Heaven&039; at all-except in so far as &039;Heaven&039; ain our friends who have died One reason for this difficulty is that we have not been trained: our whole education tends to fix our minds on this world Another reason is that when the real want for Heaven is present in us, we do not recognise it Most people, if they had really learned to look into their own hearts, would know that they do want, and want acutely, so that cannot be had in this world There are all sorts of things in this world that offer to give it to you, but they never quite keep their pros which arise in us e first fall in love, or first think of son country, or first take up soe, no travel, no learning, can really satisfy I a of ould be ordinarily called unsuccessfulof the best possible ones There was so, which just fades away in the reality I think everyone knohat I ood wife, and the hotels and scenery may have been excellent, and che has evaded us Now there are trong ways of dealing with this fact, and one right one

(I) The Fool&039;s Way - He puts the bla that if only he tried another woman, or went for a more expensive holiday, or whatever it is, then, this ti we are all after Most of the bored, discontented, rich people in the world are of this type They spend their whole lives trotting froh the divorce courts), fro that the latest is &039;the Real Thing&039; at last, and always disappointed

(2) The Way of the Disillusioned &039;Sensible Man&039;-He soon decides that the whole thing was moonshine &039;Of course,&039; he says, &039;one feels like that when one&039;s young But by the ti the rainbow&039;s end&039; And so he settles down and learns not to expect too much and represses the part of himself which used, as he would say, &039;to cry for the moon&039; This is, of course, a much better way than the first, and makes a man much happier, and less of a nuisance to society It tends to(he is apt to be rather superior towards what he calls &039;adolescents&039;), but, on the whole, he rubs along fairly comfortably It would be the best line we could take ifinfinite happiness really is there, waiting for us? Supposing one really can reach the rainbow&039;s end? In that case it would be a pity to find out too late (a moment after death) that by our supposed &039;common sense&039; we had stifled in ourselves the faculty of enjoying it

(3) The Christian Way-The Christian says, &039;Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food A duckling wants to sell, then; is such a thing as water Men feel sexual desire: well, there is such a thing as sex If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud Probably earthly pleasures were never est the real thing If that is so, I must take care, on the one hand, never to despise, or be unthankful for, these earthly blessings, and on the other, never toelse of which they are only a kind of copy, or echo, or e I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I et snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and to help others to do the same&039;

There is no need to be worried by facetious people who try to make the Christian hope of &039;Heaven&039; ridiculous by saying they do not want &039;to spend eternity playing harps&039; The answer to such people is that if they cannot understand books written for grown-ups, they should not talk about theold, etc) is, of course a merely symbolical attempt to express the inexpressible Musical instruments areknown in the present life which ests ecstasy and infinity Crowns are est the fact that those who are united with God in eternity share His splendour and power and joy Gold is old does not rust) and the preciousness of it People who take these syht as well think that when Christ told us to be like doves, He s