If wishes were horses, beggars would ride. If turnips were watches, I’d wear one by my side. So goes a children’s nursery rhyme. Wishes! We all have them; we all say from time to time, I wish this were true or not true, or that he would hurry or she would reach a decision. And, we’ve all said the little rhyme, Star light, O star bright, first star I’ve seen tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight. And then there’s the song, When You Wish Upon a Star.
Wishes! They are shimmery, gossamer things, made of stardust and dreams. They don’t have a lot of substance, they may not ever come true, they may be an impossibility; yet, we wish and we dream, oftentimes futilely.
Contrast a wish with a hope. If a wish becomes a hope, it has form and substance and the possibility of becoming reality. If the beggar had the hope of someday casting aside his rags in favor of riches, he would work toward that future time of owning a horse and of wearing a watch. Hope! What would we do without it?
Hope moves us toward a goal, gives purpose and meaning to life, puts faith into our prayers. Hope lets us see a better future, a dream realized, a goal attained. Prayer puts wings to a wish so that it becomes a hope and hope becomes a reality. Hope gives purpose to life.
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