Hope is defined as the desire with expectation of obtainment or fulfillment.
I used to be hopeless. I don’t think I believed in it really. Although, being a Christian who believes in the authority of scripture, I skipped over hope. It seemed too fluffy and not real enough for me. Scriptures about hope didn’t have the same weight for me like others about seemingly more relevant and powerful topics did. For years, I identified as a pessimist, tending to see the worst aspect of things or believe that the worst will happen. I actually felt like Optimists were kind of annoying. LOL. Like they didn’t see the real me or the real world. Like they were in a lala land.. However,in defencse of that I think there is an importance in sitting with someone in their despair in the realness. There is a balance of what’s happening now and what we hope to happen soon. Galatians 6:2 says to Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. There is hope in that too. Hope that I can help make my friend’s life easier by joining the struggle with them. Hope is to desire with expectation of obtainment or fulfillment.
But, entering this year. I decided that I would try out being hopeful. And move away from leaning toward negative outcomes. Seeing the darkness isn’t helping me any. I want to be attentive to the beautiful things around meand what could come of it. This new found respect for Hope actually snuck up on me. But I have been so thankful lately that I am now seeing beauty in everything around me rather than what’s going wrong and thinking so critically . Pessimism was draining the beauty out of life. Bruising my present moments and robbing me of dreaming about the future
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I watched a TedTalk leading up to this recording about Hope and I learned so much. It made me hopeful. It was presented by Dr. Chan Hellman a professor of social work at the University of Oklahoma and Director of The Hope Research Center. He focuses on hope as a psychological strength helping children and adults overcome trauma and adversity.For a few minutes, I want to drop some gems about hope. “Hope is one of the single best predictors of well being across a lifespan.”
There are three questions to ask yourself…
- What are the important outcomes associated with being hopeful?
- Physical, psychological, and social improvements overall creating a healthy lifestyle.
- In Children there is an increase of attendance, GPA, Grad Rate, and college rate. I’m starting to see that it’s beautiful what hope could do.
- How does trauma and adversity rob us of our capacity to hope?
- Most importantly, how do we intentionally nurture and restore that hope?
I have never nurtured hope. As I said it felt like a reach. Why would I anticipate anything when I’ve been let down before.
But as I’ve been letting hope hug me tight, I realize I’ve been missing out. Missing out on the sunshine and comfort Hope provides. Missing out on how hope lets’ you love deeper. Sit longer. Listen intentionally. Wait unwaveringly.
The Dictionary defines hope in one way, in sort of a wishful way. But I am embracing biblical hope.Not being passive but having a pathway. And my hopeful pathway is the God I serve. I confidently expect that something good will happen in my life and I will wait patiently on it to happen because I trust that God is good. My lack of hope is a direct result of my lack of faith and insufficient view of God. It’s something I will be intentionally focusing on.
The world wants us to be hopeless. To end it all. To overlook the silver lining. But we are called to hope. Ephesians 1:18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people. And his incomparably great power for us who believe. Hope in this verse means to anticipate , usually with pleasure. Even now, I am trippin up on believing in pleasurable and beautiful outcomes. But, I realize we have to fight for hope. Just like we have to fight for love. I am called to Hope. Hope is not optimism. Hope is a storage. A storage of all of God’s promises and it deepens with an understanding of the character of God.
So I am praying that the eyes of your heart will be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which God has called you to.
What are you hopeful for?