Hope Is A Courageous Choice
Hello Friend! I’m so grateful to have you along with me on this grand journey called Life—this ever-complicated, twisting path we’re all trying to navigate with wisdom, grace, and love. We’re in this together.
You might be in a place in life where you are being faced with an overwhelming amount of difficulties. I’m sorry. Whether the road in front of you seems paved with large or small challenges, I want to present a case for what has helped me keep going over the years. Heck, even last week.
Hope.
What Is Hope?
Hopelessness is easy. Choosing to have hope is one of the most courageous choices you can make today and every day for the rest of your life. It’s a continual choice to look beyond the hopelessness of much of what we see, and believe that God is still in the business of making things right and good and whole again, constantly looking for the part we can play in it all.
Hopelessness thinks it can see the future.
Hope knows it can’t.
(click to share tweet!)
I’ve Got To Be Honest With You
This past week was a tough one for me. I felt overwhelmed by sadness. It’s not like it all suddenly appeared; I believe we all carry a massive amount of sadness and grief inside of us. But the circumstances of the week allowed the sadness to blossom, if you will.
I used to hate the grip of sadness. I used to fight against it with busyness. But this past week, I allowed myself to actually feel and be aware of what my spirit was feeling. I wrote notes in my journal of specific things I was sad about. Relationship stuff. Business stuff. You know, just life stuff.
And I let it be.
I could do that because I hope.
Hope doesn’t make it all better. Or make the pain go away. But hope reminds me that I’ve been here before and I’ve made it through. The sadness doesn’t kill me, it really doesn’t even damage me a bit. In fact, sadness and grief have made me more compassionate toward others who are going through their own struggles.
Hope reminds me that even when I’m in the middle of a storm, it doesn’t ever last. The clouds always move on, and one day…one day sometime in the future…the sun actually returns. This strengthens me to keep going when the skies are dark.
When we are faced with difficulties, hope says, “Even though I might not be able to see through this mess, I believe God is in this.” Hope, to me, is one of the most courageous choices you can make today and every day for the rest of your life. To look beyond the hopelessness of much of what we see and believe that God is still in the business of making things right and good and whole again. And you’re invited to play a part in making that happen!
What Does it Mean for YOU to Have Hope?
Hope on your terms.
Does hopelessness feel more like you’re in control, because you’re aware of how bad things are?
Does hope feel less secure, more intangible? Does it feel like there are no guarantees?
When I choose hope, I am choosing a posture of faith, rooted in love and trust. It puts me in a position where I’m looking for the good things, rather than focusing on the preponderance of negative things. And if I can’t quite see the good in a situation, I’m in a better position to help create some.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
Hope Resources For You
I’ve put together a whole ton of resources if you’re looking for more hope for yourself or someone you care about. You can find them all at livehopenow.com - and here are a couple specific things you can explore:
Live Hope Minute - a free mobile app with a daily (M-F) burst of hope. Download it in the App Store on your mobile device. You can also subscribe on any podcast platform! The Live Hope Minute is currently heard on about 300 radio stations around the U.S. and Canada.
Become A Champion of Hope - a free 14-day reading plan available on the YouVersion Holy Bible app or here on their site.
Thank you for this encouragement, Mark!! I admit that I'm often a "glass half-empty" person. In other words, I look at circumstances going on around me and start to feel overwhelmed and hopeless. I really want to train my mind to choose hope over hopelessness. You touched on an important element...and that's to believe that "God is still in the business of making things right and good and whole again." I guess that's what it means to "walk by faith and not by sight."
Love this, Mark! You are such an encourager in all you do. You make the world a better place. Thanks for lifting us up and helping us hold on to the concept of hope.