Hope

When we hope for something, we are looking forward to something that we do not see. Hope is something that is very intangible. Hope is when we want something or need something. This “something” could not have a clear route on how it may arrive, but we hope that it does eventually arrive. Today we will identify some things we may hope for and how to manage it when or if we receive it. As always, let us use some examples. 

I will give an example from my wife and me. We want to buy a house as one of our next major life goals. We hope that we will achieve this, but there's another layer to the action of hope. That is the action of faith. We have faith that we will be homeowners. We know that it will come and we will do what we can to achieve this goal. The goal of homeownership started with a little bit of hope. That hope led to faith which guided our hearts to trust. For us, we trust in God that He will provide us with everything that we need. 

Moving on from that example, we know that hope is intangible. The other side to this is how do we have hope in difficult times? What if a situation seems hopeless? That is where we take time to identify the good that has come into our lives and how we saw the harvest of things that we hoped for. When we identify the times that we saw the benefits of the things that we hoped for, we are able to have hope in hopeless times. 

How do we manage these things that we hoped for? What do we do when we eventually achieve these things that we hoped for? We must manage it well. For instance when we receive the things we hoped for, we should express gratitude. This means not complaining about how it came to us or how long it took. We have to be content and grateful in order for us to prevent the bitterness that could come. 

Lastly, I want us to acknowledge why we express hope and how that can affect us. Being a hopeful person can be considered a “glass half full” mindset. When we are hopeful, it can be contagious and rub off on others. It is beneficial to keep a hopeful energy, because it helps us to look forward to the good things that may come our way. Overall, what I am asking us to do is to have a small bit of hope.