The most powerful, indivisible, monumental thing of all is hope. I was pondering what keeps people going. What helps them to move forward? Which will be the thing that gives them the courage to carry on? The simplest, yet frequently overlooked, answer is hope. There is no other rational way to describe why we keep getting up every morning and going about our days, living our lives and doing the best we can, even after the many obstacles we’ve overcome. Whether it was something we faced over a decade ago or the day before, there is something in us that tells us things will get better.
If it weren’t for hope, there would be no point. No point to life, no point to love, no point to the future. We have to be in a place where we still believe that things will get better, continuing being as wonderful as they are, or that situations will eventually turn around. Romans 5:3-5 (KJV) says, “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed;” Hope will not make you ashamed. What that says to me is that if I can still manage to have hope for myself, for my family, for the community, for the Church, for the nation, for the world, I will never be ashamed of having that sense of expectation. Hope will produce fruit. Hope will provide a favorable outcome.
I was watching a movie over the holidays with my mom. The premise of the movie was the good old fight between good and evil. At one point the evil/demon-type character implies that no matter how hard evil tries to fight against good, evil never wins. Because hope spreads among the good like “the flu at summer camp.” Hope spreads like the flu at summer camp? Love it! Hope is contagious, and as long as we have hope, we cannot be dismayed, deterred or destroyed.
I have determined that hope makes me a force to be reckoned with. No one stands a chance against my hope. Nothing can stop or block me if after all is said and done, I still believe. No matter what you’ve faced in your personal life, or dealing with family or friends, do not lose hope. People really can change and so can situations, but it is all predicated on your hope. Whatever it takes, don’t stop believing, you will never be ashamed!
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Loved the articles. 2015 is the Year of renewed Hope.
Thank you so much for reading Cynthia! Blessings to you!