Somewhere on earth, someone defied the odds. Someone said, One more time. Someone fought to keep going and someone refused to give in. Somewhere on earth, a heart kept on beating. A light persisted to shine. A prayer received an answer and a hope dares to live.
WHAT KIND OF HOPE ARE YOU HOLDING RIGHT NOW?
Sharing some passages to lend you light…
“I don’t know why I still harbor this sort of hope. This hope that rears its tender head on the rugged asphalt road I’m traveling. This stubborn hope, as headstrong as any force of nature you will find. A hope I sometimes resent for telling me to stick it out and keep going. I don’t know why, except to say, after all the things that have been done to me, and after all the times I was forsaken along the way, there was a tiny flame intact that just kept burning. A flame so faint, but wielding faith and power at the same time. This flame feels desperately alive inside. It’s shaped like hope and it keeps pushing me to survive.”
Possibly every generation has proclaimed its need for hope at a time like no other. Maybe every epoch humanly experienced has fell into despair and despondency and had been in need of a savior. What if each person were housing the very presence of God in their personal understanding of hope? And if that were true, how might that appear for you?
When I witness someone bearing down on hope, squeezing every bit of light out with tired hands, I am amazed and humbled by our human spirit. As a child, Halina Birenbaum grew up in a Warsaw ghetto and survivor of Nazi concentration camps, and is an online acquaintance I’ve been blessed to correspond with. Halina has written poetry centered on her hope and resilience, as well as her admissions of despair and fear, and has spoken about her experiences in countless interviews. She has authored many books and one titled, Hope is the Last to Die, says it all. From Halina, I see hope as a presence designed to remain with us for a lifetime, in spite of the horrors we face. It may ebb and flow, retreat and grow faint, but it is always there…
How would you describe your brand of Hope? Tattered and worn from earthly wear and tear, perhaps. Bright at times, and barely sensed in others. Like a newborn, maybe fragile, yet with the potential to develop into something sturdy and cherished. Tested and tried in some of the most unexpected ways, your hope can grow into something you knew not before.
And did you know we pass hope down to the next generation? Had you ever noticed how you offer hope to another?
REGAINING LOST HOPE
Have you lost hope? Do you need to regain your deep belief in making it through or feeling positive again? When the situation doesn’t work out as expected or desired, it’s understandable to lose hope. When dealing with adversity, illness or loneliness, it’s plausible to not feel confident about the future. A passage of words is not enough, but a need for actual support is necessary to restore your faith in life and a reasonable measure of trust you’ll be okay, even if the situation isn’t what you really wanted.
Everyone could use some light at the end of their solitary dark tunnel. Reaching out to qualified assistance, or asking someone to listen to what you’re dealing with are ways to access the heart of hope when you feel it’s withering. Letting optimism in a little each day, maybe by way of nature or tending to the wildness of life can lift your spirit. Feeding the birds or squirrels or wild ground animals is a lesson in hope when you begin to see how they return for nourishment, they too are carrying a bud of hope that you’ll meet them with sustenance. Visiting someone who needs company is a way to rekindle hope, as well as reminding yourself you are worthy – and knowing you must destress is also vital to embodying your personal hope. And sometimes without realizing you had enough to spare, hope breaks through by surprise to help you make connections and becomes a guiding presence you can hold onto.
THE POWERFUL LIGHT OF HOPE
At the end of the hall of darkness there is a light of hope that waits. For anyone who knows the internal pain of despair’s bleak and isolating shadow, the ray from this glorious light is often seen as a faint glimmer, yet remarkably enduring. There is no fanfare, no grand announcement upon its arrival; for it seems it always was and tirelessly has always been, its origin as ancient as the stars shining with an ever-present glow within a vast and moving galaxy. It has held up and lasted throughout time despite the torments of life and amid our suffering it will continue to prevail, its resiliency tested and passed down as humanity's birthright. It is kept alive within us, and through our giving —however seen as large, however perceived as small— the power of hope offers its infinite light to all.
❤️
Yes, a very important discussion for these times of despair. The old curmudgeon in me flinches a bit at the word 'hope' as being too cerebral and escapist. In psychology, I have heard hope being lableled as an impediment to surrender and acceptance on the road to healing. I have also experienced times when hope was all I had left and maybe it is primally the "lust for life" that is our birthright and an expression of our soul.
Humans are very creative and our big brains get us into all sorts of troubles. I am reminded of the Pandora's box myth where she was warned not to open the container but curiosity got the better of her releasing all sorts of havoc onto mankind leaving behind only hope. Perhaps the real moral of the story is that hope is not of our conscious mind but something more primal and pure. I like your suggestion of the feeding of wildlife to observe their unquestioning faith in survival and benevolence. Perhaps hope is all we really require and the rest is merely mental projections of our minds?