Some people look at hope as being a right. Are they right? Maybe it is a discipline? Or is it a gift? We might have hope, just because of the way we were raise. Does hope only exist in certain environments and not in others? Do you deserve hope? Is it your right to demand it? I can't answer all these questions because there is a certain amount of relevant truth to all of them. But there is another thought. These questions really don't matter.
First of all they focus on the external. We make a huge mistake when we base our hope on our current circumstances. I believe this is why Paul said in Phil. 4:11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. Paul knew that his hope couldn't be based on his current situations.
Secondly, they focus on yourself. Hope is personal. But when we make hope about our selfishness, we will lose it in a heartbeat. We begin to blame others for our personal pain. When we start to blame others for our place in life, we then will being to look to others to fix it. This again destroys the possibility for hope and we are now left to our own.
Thirdly, they make hope a commodity. We tend to think of hope as a possession rather than it being a condition of our heart. Joy, love, peace - we can agree are not possessions that can be repossessed by the bank or lost in a fire. Christmas will be here soon and therefore serves a great example. We love Christmas time because it is a time of hope, peace and good will to all men. However, we have to buy as much of it as we can at Wal-Mart is order to have it. Ask yourself this question. If you gave nothing and received nothing this Christmas, would you still have hope?
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