What's the difference between Hope and Faith?

It was September of 2007 and Isabella's 4th birthday was coming up. We walked into Peekaboo Baby a wonderful children's store on Main Street, and the first thing she laid her eyes on was a Melissa and Doug doll set. 

"Mommy, can I have this, please, please, please?!?!!", she cried. 

"No, honey, not today. We're here to pick up a baby gift for a friend of mine", I responded. 

I did sneak back later that day without her and bought it for her birthday.  When she opened her gift, she was super excited, but not very surprised.  

I asked her why she wasn't surprised, and she told me that in the store, she just  knew I would buy it for her at some point. 

A couple of weeks later, as we lay in bed, she asked me:

"Mommy, what's the difference between Faith and Hope?"

I lay there, and my first instinct was to thank God for such a sweet moment. My next instinct was to ask for God to help me respond. 

I asked her if she remembered when we stopped in at Peekaboo Baby. I asked her if she remembered the feeling of just knowing without any doubt that she would somehow end up with the doll set. I asked her if she remembered the difference between hoping she would get the doll set, and knowing she would get the doll set. 

And that's the difference between Faith and Hope. I can put my hope in people, in circumstances, and in my ability to perform. But I know that all of these will fail me at some point.  I know this because all have failed me at some point in the past. 

But in trying and troubling times, even at my darkest hour, He has not failed me.  There has always been a rainbow, after the darkest of storms. And placing my Faith in Jesus is what has carried me through, not my hope that things would turn out okay. Because hope means I'm not sure if things will turn out okay. But Faith is knowing that they will. 

Placing my trust in my Faith in Jesus, in his perfect sacrifice to cover my shortcomings; my Faith in the perfect God of the universe who created me and loved me so much He sacrificed his only Son for me, and my Faith in the Holy Spirit who has proven to me over and over again that his gentle leading helps me live life best, is infallible. 

I thought about why Isabella was so sure I would get her the doll set.  This is what i came up with:

See, she knows me intimately. She knows my character, my great love for her, my desire to give to her, especially when she doesn't whine and disobey.  She lives with me. She lives within the boundaries that I set for her, knowing that I only set the boundaries to protect her and bless her, not to constrain her or keep her from anything good in life. 

She knew me well enough to know I would give her the desire of her heart, if not at that very minute in the store, at some point in the future.

Her Faith in me comes from knowing me. 

My Faith in Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit comes from knowing Him. 

So I live now knowing that it's not my responsibility to "save" people.  But I so desperately want for my friends and loved ones to know how much they are loved by God, and what He did for them, and what He continues to want to do in them and for them. 

And this is why I write:  Romans 9:14. 

Did you see where it says that "the same Lord is Lord over ALL and richly blesses ALL who call on him..." 

But how can one call on someone he doesn't believe in? 

And how does one believe in someone that he's never been told about?  

Stay with me.  I'm going to continue writing about this God I'm getting to know better. And my deepest desire is this:

1. for people to experience my Faith

2. for people to choose to trust Jesus for themselves

3. for people to choose to follow him and know him 

4. for people to then want to share this good news with their loved ones. 

Love, CC