Hope

[fhansen]

No takers, eh? Must be a deeper subject than I thought.
Maybe what Socrates is getting at is that we all live to die anyway, whether we like it or not. We’re born to die. But we still cling to our lives and what’s offered here-it’s hard to die to self and to the world-and God leaves it up to us. **“I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” **Wisdom compels us and Love draws us to turn to God and allow the Spirit to be the guide of our lives.

“…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

I’m still working on that one.

Sister G once again directed us to some great resources, this time from the Summa. I thought a couple of points were particularly relevant to our discussion. In Article 1 Aquinas says that the three intellectual virtues (which include wisdom) don’t confer “the right use of a power or habit.” Here he gives an example using “speculative science” as an example:

"For if a man possess a habit of speculative science, it does not follow that he is inclined to make use of it, but he is made able to consider the truth in those matters of which he has scientific knowledge: that he make use of the knowledge which he has, is due to the motion of his will. Consequently a virtue which perfects the will, as charity or justice, confers the right use of these speculative habits.”

Then from Article 2:

"Now this sympathy or connaturality for Divine things is the result of charity, which unites us to God, according to 1 Cor. 6:17: “He who is joined to the Lord, is one spirit.” Consequently wisdom which is a gift, has its cause in the will, which cause is charity, but it has its essence in the intellect, whose act is to judge aright, as stated above."

And then a couple of excerpts from a short treatise by Aquinas, where he makes the point that we don’t all have the same opportunities for gaining knowledge but we should still possess the God-given Wisdom to understand our duty to Love:
**
“The law of divine love is the standard for all human actions.
It is evident that not all are able to labor at learning and for that reason Christ has given a short law. Everyone can know this law and no one may be excused from observing it because of ignorance. This is the law of divine love.

A fourth point about charity is that it truly leads to happiness, since eternal blessedness is promised only to those who have charity. For all other things are insufficient without charity. You must note that it is only the different degrees of charity, and not those of any other virtues, which constitute the different degrees of blessedness. Many of the saints were more abstemious than the apostles, but the apostles excel all the other saints in blessedness because of their higher degree of charity."
**
Great stuff.

 

[Socrates4Jesus]

I’d like to take the opportunity to relate something here which may have some sort of significance. I’m not an appliance repairman, have no particular aspirations to be, and rarely have the need to work on them. But during the course of this thread I’ve repaired, for myself, friends, or employees, two washing machines, two house furnaces, and installed a new dishwasher. I’m working on a water heater at the moment. I’m wondering if anyone else has noticed a connection between the need for major appliance repair while resolving major philosophical/theological questions. Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt the thread but this could be revelatory. Anyway, I’ll withhold judgment until more data is available.

Has the unusal event taught you or reminded you of anything?



(Sorry for not responding sooner. I’ve been helping my son with a science project and my wife has been too busy to help me walk our three dogs!)

 

[Socrates4Jesus]

No takers, eh? Must be a deeper subject than I thought.
Maybe what Socrates is getting at is that we all live to die anyway, whether we like it or not. We’re born to die. But we still cling to our lives and what’s offered here-it’s hard to die to self and to the world-and God leaves it up to us. **“I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” **Wisdom compels us and Love draws us to turn to God and allow the Spirit to be the guide of our lives.

“…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

I’m still working on that one.
…

Keep on working! I never noticed the echos of dying to oneself in that parable of Christ’s until now. Thanks for opening my eyes to that, FH.

 

[Socrates4Jesus]

… Sister G once again directed us to some great resources, this time from the Summa. I thought a couple of points were particularly relevant to our discussion. In Article 1 Aquinas says that the three intellectual virtues (which include wisdom) don’t confer “the right use of a power or habit.” Here he gives an example using “speculative science” as an example:

"For if a man possess a habit of speculative science, it does not follow that he is inclined to make use of it, but he is made able to consider the truth in those matters of which he has scientific knowledge: that he make use of the knowledge which he has, is due to the motion of his will. Consequently a virtue which perfects the will, as charity or justice, confers the right use of these speculative habits.”
…

Good to see a great thinker agrees that justice is, like charity (i.e., unselfish love), a virtue.

 

[Socrates4Jesus]

… Then from Article 2:

"Now this sympathy or connaturality for Divine things is the result of charity, which unites us to God, according to 1 Cor. 6:17: “He who is joined to the Lord, is one spirit.” Consequently wisdom which is a gift, has its cause in the will, which cause is charity, but it has its essence in the intellect, whose act is to judge aright, as stated above."

And then a couple of excerpts from a short treatise by Aquinas, where he makes the point that we don’t all have the same opportunities for gaining knowledge but we should still possess the God-given Wisdom to understand our duty to Love:
**
“The law of divine love is the standard for all human actions. **
It is evident that not all are able to labor at learning and for that reason Christ has given a short law. Everyone can know this law and no one may be excused from observing it because of ignorance. This is the law of divine love.

A fourth point about charity is that it truly leads to happiness, since eternal blessedness is promised only to those who have charity. For all other things are insufficient without charity. You must note that it is only the different degrees of charity, and not those of any other virtues, which constitute the different degrees of blessedness. Many of the saints were more abstemious than the apostles, but the apostles excel all the other saints in blessedness because of their higher degree of charity."

Great stuff.

Yes, great stuff!



I should explain that in this discussion thread i’ve taken up arms against Love, not because i think she is not of great value, but because i think Catholics and other Christians focus so deeply on her that they risk losing sight of the importance of other virtues, such as Faith, Hope, Justice and Wisdom. I have, i’ve found, a peculiar love for Wisdom that others tend dismiss. So, i’m glad that you, FH, and Sister, and Hamlet, and David and others have helped me think this thing through by taking sides with Love. You have all helped me better understand myself and how far i have to go and how to go about getting there.

As another song from the Broadway play i was reminded of earlier says, “Who can say if i’ve been changed for the better? Since i’ve met you, i’ve been changed for good.” I suppose whether i’ve been changed for the better depends on whether i’m wise enough to surrender to love and put what i’ve learned to practice.

 

[Socrates4Jesus]

I believe that of all the biblical writers to whom i owe a debt of gratitude, St. John is the one to whom i owe the most. His gospel has done more to bring me closer to Christ than any other, and his epistles have taught me a great deal about both Love and Wisdom.

St. James stresses the importance of Wisdom and St. Paul the importance of Love, but St. John gives them both equal attention. Here are just a few examples:

**Wisdom: **

This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.

(1 John 1:5-7)

We know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commands. The man who says, “I know Him,” but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in Him.

(1 John 2:3-4)

Love:

But if anyone obeys His word, God’s love is truly made complete in Him. This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.

(1 John 2:5-6)

Wisdom:

Yet I am writing you a new command; it’s truth is seen in Him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining. Anyone who claims to be in the light . . .

**Love: **

. . . but hates his brother . . .

**Wisdom: **

. . . is still in darkness.

Love:

Whoever loves his brother . . .

Wisdom:

. . . lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble.

Love:

But whoever hates his brother . . .

Wisdom:

. . . is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.

(1 John 2:7-11)

But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. . . . I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. As for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you. But as His anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit–just as it has taught you, remain in Him.

(1 John 2:20-27)

Love:

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue . . .

Wisdom:

. . . but with actions and truth. This is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in His presence whenever our hearts do not condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything.

(1 John 3:16-20)

And he continues throughout the letter demonstrating that Wisdom and Love are both necessary and should work in harmony in you or me.

 

[JDaniel]

Thank you, Trishie, but have you answered my question? You have told me of the benefits or effects of hope. You have told me what hope does. I’m asking what hope is.

I can tell you the negative: hope is that which is lost when there is nothing to live for.
There is no present.
There is no existence.
There is no “good.”
There is no reality.
There is nothing outside of our minds.

Does anybody really care?

 

[JDaniel]

How should one define it?

Not having read all 44 pages of this thread, I find I need to ask a few questions.

Have you come up with a concise definition?

If so, could you codify it and write it here?

I have read someplace that hope, in general, means the longing after something which is conceived as something good.

Longing would seem to indicate that what is longed for poses some difficulty, or difficulties, that must be overcome.

But, in order for the good thing that is longed for to be continued to be sought, it must be perceived as attainable, e.g., a manager sets goals for his employees. In order for his employees to even want to succeed, those goals must be achievable.

Is this the hope you are talking about?

(My personal questions): In the absence of being able to touch reality, is there a point to continuation of hope?

Is it just keeping the rats in the matrix busy?

This is really important to me right now.

Thank you for your patience.

jd

 

[fhansen]

Not having read all 44 pages of this thread, I find I need to ask a few questions.

Have you come up with a concise definition?

If so, could you codify it and write it here?

I have read someplace that hope, in general, means the longing after something which is conceived as something good.

Longing would seem to indicate that what is longed for poses some difficulty, or difficulties, that must be overcome.

But, in order for the good thing that is longed for to be continued to be sought, it must be perceived as attainable, e.g., a manager sets goals for his employees. In order for his employees to even want to succeed, those goals must be achievable.

Is this the hope you are talking about?

(My personal questions): In the absence of being able to touch reality, is there a point to continuation of hope?

Is it just keeping the rats in the matrix busy?

This is really important to me right now.

Thank you for your patience.

jd

At such times, hope can be the only thing we have to cling to-hope that there’s a greater reality than me, hope that there’s something worth living and dying for, hope that love is real. But the hope we’ve been discussing here is a bit stronger than that. While it is oriented towards those same things it’s also, because it’s a theological virtue, enlivened and strengthened by Gods’ grace into something greater than mere desire. It includes the ability to have a trust and confidence that revealed truths are, in fact, true.

 

[Sister_G]

FH and Soc, I think we have a wonderful examination for the rest of Lent with the words of St. Thomas Aquinas. I have been reading him for a couple of years now and meditating on his writings. Dying to self and above all to the lower nature passions is a must for those who seriously want to follow and imitate Jesus. These are wonderful things to keep present in our mids and hearts! Great job!

 

[JDaniel]

At such times, hope can be the only thing we have to cling to-hope that there’s a greater reality than me, hope that there’s something worth living and dying for, hope that love is real.

If hope is merely the prayer “that there is something we have to cling to,” “that there’s a greater reality than me, et al” there’s really not much there to hope for. What that’s saying is, “I hope that my concepts lead me outside of my concepts?” What’s the good in that?

But the hope we’ve been discussing here is a bit stronger than that. While it is oriented towards those same things it’s also, because it’s a theological virtue, enlivened and strengthened by Gods’ grace into something greater than mere desire. It includes the ability to have a trust and confidence that revealed truths are, in fact, true.

This is precisely what I’d like defined. You seem to be saying that there exists a kind of hope that is there necessarily because its end is “supernatural”: am I correct? How do we exhibit that sort of hope? How do we satisfy it, if that’s possible for that sort of hope. I know for a fact the the hope for anything else is sheer refuse. I’ve been a millionaire, in my life, had a loving wife, and loving children, a nice house, several nice cars, great friends. All of that and still a “hole” right in the middle of me that was only partially “filled” by keeping busy.

There are posters, herein, that say God exists and others that say he doesn’t. There are those that say the bible is not fake and others who believe it to be fake. There are those that claim that God is the end of man, and those who claim there is no end (I guess, final cause) towards which man tends.

I know that hope is meaningless if it’s just for the accumulation of wealth and stuff. I am at a point in my life that is a quagmire for me. All that I am, all that I have been, if its merely for the acquisition of the stuff that left that hole in me, is, as Aquinas once said of his Theologica, “a lot of straw.” But, hope that it’s not is not hope. At least not for me. Is it for any of you people reading this?

jd

 

[Sister_G]

JD, the emptieness you seem to feel inside sounds to me primarily based on the natural level. The three Theological Virtues of Fatih, Hope and Love must all be active in our lives. In our many pages we have spoken about other virtues that have taken a “back seat” if you will to the three Great Virtues. These I call great" because they define in many ways our relationship to God.
Maybe an over simplified way for me to recall these great virtues, particularly when I am in great darkness, is this: Faith= I believe, Lord help my unbelief. I know you are there somewhere, don’t let me forget. Hope= I long for you, O Lord! You are all that I desire in life! May I one day see you face to face! Love= Anything that is not of you O Lord, let it perish - both that which is in me and that which is around me. Keep reaching out to me in your unfailing love O Lord, that I may one day see you face to face!
God has to be our everything, JD. All that we believe in, all that we long for (that is why your hole cannot be filled - only He can do it), and the summ of all that we love needs to be Him.

 

[davidv]

If hope is merely the prayer “that there is something we have to cling to,” “that there’s a greater reality than me, et al” there’s really not much there to hope for. What that’s saying is, “I hope that my concepts lead me outside of my concepts?” What’s the good in that?

This is precisely what I’d like defined. You seem to be saying that there exists a kind of hope that is there necessarily because its end is “supernatural”: am I correct? How do we exhibit that sort of hope? How do we satisfy it, if that’s possible for that sort of hope. I know for a fact the the hope for anything else is sheer refuse. I’ve been a millionaire, in my life, had a loving wife, and loving children, a nice house, several nice cars, great friends. All of that and still a “hole” right in the middle of me that was only partially “filled” by keeping busy.

There are posters, herein, that say God exists and others that say he doesn’t. There are those that say the bible is not fake and others who believe it to be fake. There are those that claim that God is the end of man, and those who claim there is no end (I guess, final cause) towards which man tends.

I know that hope is meaningless if it’s just for the accumulation of wealth and stuff. I am at a point in my life that is a quagmire for me. All that I am, all that I have been, if its merely for the acquisition of the stuff that left that hole in me, is, as Aquinas once said of his Theologica, “a lot of straw.” But, hope that it’s not is not hope. At least not for me. Is it for any of you people reading this?

jd

First , I pray that you be freed from your quagmire.

I think you would find some of the definition you are looking for within the first pages of this thread.

 

[fhansen]

If hope is merely the prayer “that there is something we have to cling to,” “that there’s a greater reality than me, et al” there’s really not much there to hope for. What that’s saying is, “I hope that my concepts lead me outside of my concepts?” What’s the good in that?

Even at its most basic human level, hope is probably inspired by God- an aspiration towards something “bigger” than myself-having hope against, if nothing else, a gnawing angst or despair that there’s nothing out there that can bring true lasting joy and happiness.

This is precisely what I’d like defined. You seem to be saying that there exists a kind of hope that is there necessarily because its end is “supernatural”: am I correct? How do we exhibit that sort of hope? How do we satisfy it, if that’s possible for that sort of hope. I know for a fact the the hope for anything else is sheer refuse. I’ve been a millionaire, in my life, had a loving wife, and loving children, a nice house, several nice cars, great friends. All of that and still a “hole” right in the middle of me that was only partially “filled” by keeping busy.

This kind of Hope is supernatural, as are the virtues of Faith and Charity. The object and the donor of these virtues is God. I worded my reply a bit wrong BTW. It would be more correct to say that Hope is the supernatural ability to place our trust and confidence* in* the revealed truths-not just to trust that they are true (that the possibility of eternal life is a reality, for example), but to trust and be confident that this is Gods will for us.

There are posters, herein, that say God exists and others that say he doesn’t. There are those that say the bible is not fake and others who believe it to be fake. There are those that claim that God is the end of man, and those who claim there is no end (I guess, final cause) towards which man tends.

I know that hope is meaningless if it’s just for the accumulation of wealth and stuff. I am at a point in my life that is a quagmire for me. All that I am, all that I have been, if its merely for the acquisition of the stuff that left that hole in me, is, as Aquinas once said of his Theologica, “a lot of straw.” But, hope that it’s not is not hope. At least not for me. Is it for any of you people reading this?jd

Of course Aquinas said that because of an experience that the Object of his hope gave him-in simplest terms that the faith he wrote so much about was directed at Something real after all.

St Augustine put it this way:
The words printed here are concepts. You must go through the experiences.

Have you read Father John Corapis’ story of his conversion? It’s pretty awesome and it sounds like you’d relate to it. But in the end we must all come to hope, and belief, and love individually. Others can only tell you their experiences and I don’t know what you know or what you’ve experienced but it sounds like you may’ve heard a lot already. All I can say is that I’ve had to get to the end of my rope a few times in life, to the point where I put faith in action enough to call out to God, and He answered. Hope, like any other good thing, can be prayed for.

 

[JDaniel]

JD, the emptiness you seem to feel inside sounds to me primarily based on the natural level. The three Theological Virtues of Faith, Hope and Love must all be active in our lives. In our many pages we have spoken about other virtues that have taken a “back seat” if you will to the three Great Virtues. These I call great" because they define in many ways our relationship to God.
Maybe an over simplified way for me to recall these great virtues, particularly when I am in great darkness, is this: Faith= I believe, Lord help my unbelief. I know you are there somewhere, don’t let me forget. Hope= I long for you, O Lord! You are all that I desire in life! May I one day see you face to face! Love= Anything that is not of you O Lord, let it perish - both that which is in me and that which is around me. Keep reaching out to me in your unfailing love O Lord, that I may one day see you face to face!
God has to be our everything, JD. All that we believe in, all that we long for (that is why your hole cannot be filled - only He can do it), and the sum of all that we love needs to be Him.

What will happen to me if I don’t find this hope? I’m not so curious about the end of my life time; I’m more curious about the present. Do other people go through what I’m going through?

How is it that so many people can go blithely through life and not give a gnat about where they’re going? Considering the emotions I go through, they must have something else other than the so-called “good life” to give them hope, don’t you think? Without an immaterial goal or good, towards which a person might tend, could it just be that life itself is that bigger-than-me goal? Just plain life? You see, that holds no impetus for me at all.

I guess I built my trust in God on the rational and logical proofs particularly from St. Thomas. I think those proofs are real, or else substantial. But, by relying too much on those proofs has made my faith less than what it should be. Even the thought of logicality brings with it doubt. Because logicality is merely a thought. And, a thought is not real. It is not concrete. If life and all we know is nothing more than illusion, and delusion, what really is the sense of staying alive? Does faith and hope have anything to do with each other?

I have been an agnostic. I have been an atheist. As I mentioned, I have had great wealth. Nothing from any of these states brought me hope, or happiness, for that matter. Then I grabbed on to God, because I believed that the logic was irrefutable. Then, I see many people in these forums that have no believes, no faith, and seem to be cruising along just fine. If I ask them if they think they might be “missing” something, they answer in the negative. But, I don’t believe that that’s true as I know that when I held those beliefs, I felt strongly that I was missing-out on something.

By the way, a belief in the universe does nothing for me either. I can find no reason to live for the sake of the universe either. Nor do I place any value on the stoic belief that virtue is its own end. I am running through everything that’s left.

Thanks,
jd

 

[JDaniel]

First , I pray that you be freed from your quagmire.

I think you would find some of the definition you are looking for within the first pages of this thread.

Thanks. I re-read the first several pages and will think about them.

jd

 

[davidv]

What will happen to me if I don’t find this hope? I’m not so curious about the end of my life time; I’m more curious about the present. Do other people go through what I’m going through?

How is it that so many people can go blithely through life and not give a gnat about where they’re going? Considering the emotions I go through, they must have something else other than the so-called “good life” to give them hope, don’t you think? Without an immaterial goal or good, towards which a person might tend, could it just be that life itself is that bigger-than-me goal? Just plain life? You see, that holds no impetus for me at all.

I guess I built my trust in God on the rational and logical proofs particularly from St. Thomas. I think those proofs are real, or else substantial. But, by relying too much on those proofs has made my faith less than what it should be. Even the thought of logicality brings with it doubt. Because logicality is merely a thought. And, a thought is not real. It is not concrete. If life and all we know is nothing more than illusion, and delusion, what really is the sense of staying alive? Does faith and hope have anything to do with each other?

I have been an agnostic. I have been an atheist. As I mentioned, I have had great wealth. Nothing from any of these states brought me hope, or happiness, for that matter. Then I grabbed on to God, because I believed that the logic was irrefutable. Then, I see many people in these forums that have no believes, no faith, and seem to be cruising along just fine. If I ask them if they think they might be “missing” something, they answer in the negative. But, I don’t believe that that’s true as I know that when I held those beliefs, I felt strongly that I was missing-out on something.

By the way, a belief in the universe does nothing for me either. I can find no reason to live for the sake of the universe either. Nor do I place any value on the stoic belief that virtue is its own end. I am running through everything that’s left.

Thanks,
jd

Your post reminded me of a saying from one of my former pastors (retired), who liked to say “the greatest distance in the world is the distance from our head to our heart”. I can relate in that my initial ascent was intellectual. It took many years, and many times hearing the above to begin to integrate the intellectual with the heart (spiritual and emotional). It was not study and reading the caused this movement. It was the realization of how loving those around me, particularly my wife, were.

May I recommend some prayerful reading of the Psalms along with some advice Jeff Cavins gave us in our Psalms bible study. To paraphrase him, “if you don’t see and/or feel the Psalms, you are reading too fast.”?

 

[Socrates4Jesus]

Hmmm

 

[Socrates4Jesus]

JD:

Hey, i feel your despair, for i’ve been there. I’m still struggling with a lack of Hope.

You asked for a definition of Hope. Here is an incomplete (but hopefully helpful) definition:

Hope is a feeling of expectation that something good will result in the future. Hope is only as good as the object in which it is placed. If that object is trustworthy, then Hope can be a feeling of complete confidence and trust.

Here is an incomplete (but perhaps useful) definition of Faith:

Faith is a rational belief that something or someone is trustworthy. Faith is only as good as the object in which it is placed. If the object is trustworthy, then Faith can be trust based on reason or revealed knowledge that the object in which one has faith is trustworthy.

That is, simply put, at its best Hope is a feeling of trust and at its best Faith is a rational trust.

So, when i read this passage of the Bible

Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

(1 John 5)

i understand that i should have complete Faith (or a rational and reasoned trust) that God answers every prayer that is His will. I also understand that i should always Hope (or have feelings of great expectations) that what i’m asking God to grant is what He really wills (or wants) for me.

That’s why Love and Wisdom are also important to me. Love motivates me to want what He wants. Wisdom teaches me what He wants. Such motivation and guidance helps me understand for what i should pray and gives me the encouragement to keep praying and not give up.

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

“Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”

–Jesus (Matthew 7)

 

[Socrates4Jesus]

You have been given an awesome opportunity, JD! You have a great story to tell to teach people the truth. Please allow me to explain:

So many i know tell me how happy they’d be if they just had a million dollars. Then, they say, they’d have all they need and be truly satisfied.

You have it (or had it), and you testify that money does not satisfy. Now, that’s only half of the story. If you come to a point where you find satisfaction in getting closer to God, you will have an even more powerful truth to tell, a truth that people like me, who have little wealth, could never convey convincingly. Like Matthew the wealthy tax collector who gave up his life devoted to getting rich and followed Jesus, you have the potential of obtaining a rare blessing.