This was the year. This was their time to finally take home the title “Super Bowl Champions.” I am a tried and true Vikings fan and anticipated this more and more as the season played out. I had hope. No, I truly believed they would be playing in the Super Bowl.

I have no idea what you believe the word hope means but to me it is with great anticipation that something will happen although there is no guarantee. It could be a wish, a dream. If you look in the Bible you will find that hope is translated from the Greek and Hebrew languages as an “indication of certainty.”

Hmmmm… so the Bible will take us to the certainty of one’s hoping. I read this and then think that what I am hoping for the odds are in my favor then, right? I can live with that then.

— I hope that my children will be happy every day of their lives.

— I hope that I will be rich.

— I hope that all my officers will go home safe and sound tonight.

— I hope I dance at all my grandchildren’s weddings.

— I hope my son has an awesome year racing.

–I hope…I hope…I hope… so I am expecting a high return on my hopes because the Bible says it is so through those words of certainty of one’s hoping. How awesome then if I spend my life hoping for nothing but good then for most aspects of it my life will roll along pretty smooth. Awesome!

Hold on now. My brain knows though that life does not roll this way. Those hopes do not always come true. That high school crush is not the one for my lifetime or that football game simply is not for the Vikings to win this year.

Do I or we simply stop hoping then? Not me. If I do not have hopes what do I have to look forward to? Where do I put my focus then towards in the future? I simply will continue to hope for all the good in the world for my children and grandchildren. I will always hope my guys go home safe to their families and most importantly I will hope with all my heart that I will dance at all of my grandchildren’s weddings and I will carry a little faith along with me that there is some certainty in my hope.