As we look around at the world we live in, it can feel oppressive and depressing, yet we also have hope. Hope is the one thing that can bolster our spirits when all else fails and our personal world feels as if it is crumbling around us, . Hope, like Faith, can be looked at as an intangible factor. In other words, it is not something we can reach out and physically touch. However, it is something that not only can touch our lives but can give us strength to move forward.
There are times when we are walking through the valley of life. When we look up, we can’t see the sun shining. We have to force ourselves to press on – to take one more step forward – to inhale the next breath, as we are tempted to give up in the face of the exhausting struggle with the world seemingly so dark around us. We want to sit down – or even better, lay down, curl up into a ball and just disappear. In these moments, it is easy to consider giving up. Yet it is also these moments that the spark of Light which dwells within us ignites into a powerful thing called hope. It is the hope that taking the next step – and the one after that – we will see life and the challenges become little bit easier. It is the hope that once we climb our of the valley of darkness, we will reach a plateau of light and warmth.
Hope is so much more than just the motivating factor that we call upon to strengthen us when fear closes around us. While hope is a great motivator, it also inspires us. It gives us strength. It encourages us to move forward. It helps us to take the next step in an otherwise difficult situation. Hope is also something we can mentally grab hold of and use as a building block. It helps to strengthen our foundation. We can build on hope and it will sustain us. It will support us.
Hope can transform us. There is so much power in the ability to hope. It is limitless how far we can go. Our hope comes from, and is in, the Lord. We have a heavenly Father who cares for us. It is easier to understand this when you realize that a good father wants what is best for his children. When a parent goes on a trip and returns, what happens? They often bring gifts back to their loved ones. Why? They were thinking of them while they were away. Yet, God is never far away from us and He is thinking about us all the time.
He loves us SO much that He gave His Son as a sacrifice for OUR sins. We are adopted into the family AND treated as HIS OWN. We know that having hope in the Lord is transformative! We can go from grieving to dancing. From sorrow to joy. There is so much that having the ability to simply hope gives us. When we take that thought process and use it as a motivating factor into action – we are unstoppable. There is nothing we aren’t capable of doing.
Yes, there may be obstacles in our lives. Some are physical and others mental and/or emotional. However, when we put our hope, our trust, and our faith in God – we CAN move mountains. Hope can be used as a stepping stool, a building block, letting us move from one thing to another with strength we didn’t even know we had.
How far would we get without hope? The world would be full of despair and mourning. Look at the number of people who are struggling, feeling they are in a hopeless situation with no way out. Those who take their lives because they have no hope. Hope is a reason to live. Hope is a reason to take the next breath, to take the next step, to reach out to someone and share how we are feeling. Hope is a strength.
Do not despair, be of GOOD cheer. Allow hope to transform you to joy. Then share that joy with someone else. Let it move from person to person through you. Be a rock and an example to someone else. Let them see you have hope during these troubled times. Be open to the opportunities to share a smile, speak a kind word, to bring happiness and hope to someone else’s life. Don’t let the enemy steal your hope or turn it into despair. Know that you are not alone in your journey.
In the quiet, we find hope still lives. It may be nothing more than a tiny spark in your heart waiting to grow. Remember if you feed it, it will grow and turn into a blaze that will give you what you need to continue on to a fullness of joy in your life.
Dear Lord,
We thank You for your giving us the ability to hope. Help us to remember that our hope is in You. Help us to always remember, no matter the situation, that there is hope. Remind us of the transformative nature of hope. That it can be a guiding light to help us along the dark path. Help us to remember that even in this day, not all is lost. That we just need to place our hope in You.
Teach us this day and every day that we all have the ability not only to hope, but be a helping hand to those who feel they are hopeless. Help us to spread hope, love and joy to the people we meet each day. Help us to be that beacon of light that always points to You.
In Jesus Name we pray,
Amen