"Kept Taut by Hope"

“The lines of purpose in your lives never grow slack, tightly tied as they are to your future in heaven, kept taut by hope. The Message is as true among you today as when you first heard it. It doesn’t diminish or weaken over time.” (Colossians 1:5, The Message) 

The Message is really, really good in Colossians 1.  Here Paul prays that the lines of purpose in the lives of the Colossian believers would never grow slack because they are so tightly connected to those who follow Christ's future in heaven.   These lines of purpose are kept taut by hope.  Beautifully paraphrased.

One of Webster's definitions of hope is to expect with confidence.  There is an element of waiting in hope—we do not yet have what we desire or anticipate—and there is an element of confidence—we have multiple proofs that what we hope for will come about.  This is never more true than the believer in Christ and the hope of our future in heaven with him.  We expect that we will indeed have a future in heaven and we wait for it with confidence.  Thus the lines of purpose in our lives are kept taut...by hope.

Emily Dickinson capture hope very well:

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul

And sings the tune without the words

And never stops at all

I've seen it on the chillest land

And in the strangest sea

Yet never in extremity

It asked a crumb of me