perhaps

 

[ per-haps ]                                            

adverb

maybe; possibly:

Perhaps the package will arrive today

"Perhaps" is perhaps my new favorite word.  It might be one of my favorite words ever.

I rediscovered this word at a writing conference in North Carolina early this summer. The keynote speaker, Bob Hostetler, spoke on 9 words for a writer to remember, and one of the words was perhaps.

All summer I kept hearing my new word; it was on audiobooks, it was in songs, it was on the printed page, it was in blog posts. But it wasn't part of my daily conversation, and I wanted it to be.

Why? Here are five reasons I love this word:

1. Perhaps is a hopeful word. 

It reminds me of a child riding in the car with his mother, bold enough to ask, "Mom, can we get ice cream on the way home?"

And then the sweet answer, inspiring hope in the heart of the child, "Perhaps we can, sweetie."

 

2. Perhaps is a peaceful word.

Perhaps says to me, "What you're suggesting may or may not happen, but either way, it's okay."

There's no struggle in perhaps, no resistance, no commitment. Just possibility, and a simple acceptance of the end result.

"Perhaps I'll meet you at the pool later on."

3. Perhaps gives the benefit of the doubt, and chooses to believe the best.

"The cashier shorted me $1.00. Perhaps it was an oversight." 

4. Perhaps is a word which indicates our faith. It says, "I have enough faith to act on my belief."

The best example I find is in the Bible, in Luke 20:13 (the story didn't end the way the vineyard owner wanted it to, but regardless, he had faith enough to act on it):

"Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’"

5. Perhaps is a word full of promise.
"If you come for the week, we can visit the botanical gardens; perhaps do some sight-seeing and shopping!"

Here's a quick test for you: Fill your own words into the blank, "Perhaps _________."

How did you fill the blank? I'm betting you filled it with something positive and hopeful and promising.

Perhaps begs to be part of your daydream, part of your legacy, part of your future.

Perhaps it needs to be a bigger part of our conversation. Perhaps we need to be intentional in using this word. Perhaps, as a society, we need a resurgence of the blessings of this word.

What does perhaps promise you? What hope does it inspire in you?