A Healing Concept in Finite and Transfinite Hope through a Storytelling Approach

Abstract by Anna M. Galeniece

In this world, each person has their own aspirations, hopes and longings, especially when they go through trials and excruciating tests of life. How can their hope become realistic while coping with challenging circumstances? Is there any help in the blessed Advent hope, which is rooted in the Word of God, focusing on the future when the saved ones will spend eternity with God without pain, sickness or death?

Answering these and similar questions, this paper will discuss the hope that is integrated into the stories of God’s people and the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. It will challenge Christians with the reframing of their time by revisiting their past and envisioning their future, especially those who struggle with crucibles in life. It will also discuss and propose the use of a storytelling model for the hope that invites God’s people to try to understand their deep spiritual and personal issues and their emotional reactions to them.

The God-given hope for humanity is two-fold—it is transfinite to anticipate the future and project ourselves into this future, and finite to provide meaning and purpose for  current ongoing challenges. Therefore, this paper will also invite the readers to accept their awareness of their despair and the need to use their agonizing life story to deconstruct it, reframe it with Jesus in the center, and reconstruct it for a meaningful and faith-building outcome with the hope that is personified and rooted in Christ as they learn to fearlessly face the present and the future.