Wednesday, March 10, 2010

The Audacity of Hope

This quote is taken from an interview given by Alice Eve, one of the featured actresses in the upcoming movie, She's Out of My League. To answer the question all of you are thinking - no, I have not seen the movie - I simply stumbled on the article on the USA Today website! Enjoy this snippet:

What’s your favorite part about America?
"Your mentality is amazing, and it’s something the Old World doesn’t have: that New World hope. The audacity of hope, it’s incredible to see that. We don’t have that in England. It’s just not there. Here, you guys dare to dream. It’s a beautiful thing." [From "Alice Eve: Rising Star and 'Laugh Addict" by Brian Truitt, accessed at: http://whosnews.usaweekend.com/2010/03/alice-eve-rising-star-and-‘laugh-addict’/]


What caught my eye in this interview was the phrase, "the audacity of hope." I do not know if Miss Eve meant to use the phrase in the manner that it struck me; nevertheless, I cannot shake it and it has made me think and think, and think, think, think!

This Christian life is all about the 'audacity of hope'. The word 'audacity' or 'audacious', simply put means "a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks." I like that. I want that. I want to live a life of bold risks. I want to live on the edge, where dreams are born and epic poems are written. It is a place carved out by the resurrected imagination, a place where faith and love bring forth the beautiful life.

The place of bold risks is the place where Jesus lived and where the post-Pentecost disciples lived. They lived audacious lives. But because these audacious lives were lived in Christ - they were lived in hope. Hope is a key here. With no hope, there is no love; where there is no love, there is no God - For God is love. Paul was right when he said in his letter to the Corinthians: "But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love." (1 Cor. 13:13)

As I ponder the future, my prayer is that God would plant an "audacious hope" within me. That His love would pour through me into this world and that wherever I am and whatever I am doing, it would make a difference for someone. Thank you Miss Eve, for the profound encouragement for all of us today.

4 comments:

  1. Ahhhh... to 'boldly go where no man has gone before.' In the words of the song, 'Be bold, be strong, for the Lord your God is with you...'

    ReplyDelete
  2. The quote comes from Jeremiah Wright, he was Pres. Obama's pastor. It is also the title of Obama's memoir.
    I think that is what she was referencing. It is a great line though.

    ReplyDelete
  3. That is very possible! Interestingly, I haven't followed Rev. Wright or Mr. Obama much. I know what you are thinking - shame on you Jay for not being more politically aware! Being around a lot Brits lately though, I tend to key in a bit more to how they feel about Americans. I think it feels more credible coming from her perspective though for some reason... Nevertheless, it is a good line.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I dont blame you at all for not obsessing over politics. It gets too nasty for my blood sometimes too, on both sides.
    I would comend some of Rev. Wright's preaching though. He is very good. And most of the controversy surrounding things he has said are from quotes taken WAY out of context.

    ReplyDelete