One of my all time favorite quotes is from Napoleon Bonaparte, “A leader is a dealer in hope.” I’m not one to use four-lettered words. At least not very often; maybe if I hit my thumb with a hammer, if you hurt my loved ones, or if my kids attempt to blow themselves up making a bonfire (That is a story for another day). But there is one four-lettered word that I believe we all need to start using. We don’t want to throw it around carelessly, but we want to use it when necessary and with purpose. That word is HOPE.
According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary there are two kinds of ‘hope’, both of them verbs. For you word nerds, (no names mentioned Janice and Bridget) we’ll be even more specific, intransitive and transitive verbs.
Intransitive verb: hope
To cherish as desire with anticipation; to want something to happen or be true
Transitive verb: hope
To desire with expectation of obtainment or fulfillment
I read this and thought to myself, we have a transitive and intransitive verb, but where is the noun? Quickly I recollected a noun is defined as a person, place, thing, activity or idea. There should be a noun. I decided to look in Webster’s 1828 Dictionary. The first thing I found under the word “hope” was the noun.
HOPE, noun (Latin cupio)
1. A desire of some good, accompanied with a least a slight expectation of obtaining it, or a belief that it is obtainable. Hope differs from wish and desire in this, that it implies some expectation of obtaining the good desired, or the possibility of possessing it. Hope therefore always gives pleasure or joy; whereas wish and desire may produce or be accompanied with pain and anxiety.
2. Confidence in a future event; the highest degree of well founded expectation of good; as a hope founded on God’s gracious promises; a scriptural sense.
3. That which gives hope; he or that which furnishes ground of expectation, or promises desired good.
4. An opinion or belief not amounting to certainty, but grounded on substantial evidence.
Score! Not one definition of a noun but four! Which leads me to my next question, “What the heck happened between 1828 and 2018?!” We don’t even have a noun definition for the word “hope” in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. If that isn’t a sign of the times, I don’t know what is?! Where is HOPE? Who stole HOPE? Most importantly how can we restore HOPE? We know it exists. In one of the most iconic movie scenes of all time, Princess Leia cries out, “Obi-Wan Kenobi you’re my only hope!”
If we embrace Napoleon’s quote, then we should come to the conclusion that leaders are responsible for bringing hope to others. I don’t want to debate whether or not we believe our political leaders are doing this. I believe the old adage that every person can be a leader; in their home, in their community or in their sphere of influence. With that being said, I have decided to focus on myself. Am I doing this? Do my words and actions give HOPE to others? What am I doing to help people receive the pleasure and joy that come from HOPE? Does the HOPE we share help others look to the future without fear?
As Christians, we have HOPE when we trust Jesus. When we give Him our heart, we receive the HOPE of an eternal home in Heaven. But how can we literally be dealers in HOPE day in and day out? I certainly don’t have all the answers, but here is a little acronym that I think may move us in the right direction.
H – Help We want to help others. Helping others gives them HOPE. We can help strangers, co-workers, friends and family. As leaders, a.k.a. dealers in hope, we can give our time, talent and treasure to help others.
O – Opportunity Use every opportunity to connect with your fellow man. Build relationships. Listen to them. Take time to invest in others. If you get off your phone, iPad and computer, you can truly be a dealer of hope, in your own home, community and sphere of influence.
P – Peace In Romans 12:18 we are encouraged to: ‘Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone’. Beth Moore just tweeted, “We don’t have to agree with people to like them. I like lots of people I disagree with. Couldn’t have survived marriage otherwise.” Choose peace. Give HOPE.
E – Encourage If one thing is missing in today’s society it is encouragement. It is easy to tear others down, but it takes effort to seek out the goodness in others and tell them. It doesn’t cost you anything but time to give an encouraging word.
Recap: we can be like Napoleon Bonaparte and be dealers in HOPE, by helping others, taking every opportunity to build relationships, choosing peace and encouraging others. Maybe we can be instrumental, not only in putting the noun back into our dictionaries, but in restoring HOPE to this broken world.
Taking Back Happy 