Hope is a Skill

Hope.  

Hope is a renewable resource.  

Hope is a necessary resource.  

Hope is a teachable skill.  

Hope is the foundation of tomorrow.  

Do you have hope?  

Not like, I hope you have a good day. (Although I do, and I’m sure when you say it you mean it too…)

But I mean hope in your heart.  Hope that no matter what is going on around you, you can ground yourself, cling on to, spread to those around you.  

Hope is more than a passing feeling.  Hope is more than an adopted attitude when things are getting rough.  Hope isn’t a charm you pull out and rub and wait for the luck to kick in.  

Hope is a way of thinking.  Hope is a lifestyle that you can learn to live.  The definition of hope is: 1.  A feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.  2.  A feeling of trust.  

I think we can all identify with the first definition.  We all have things that we hope will come true.  We hope the car will start after the foot of snow melts.  We hope the dog didn’t chew the throw pillows while we were away.  We hope that there’s enough ketchup left to get through dinner.  We all have hopes.  Some are small and  some are big… We hope we will earn and save enough money to retire early.  We hope our business will catch the eye of someone ready to invest or buy in.  We hope that our health will remain with us through life.  We expect if we make the right decisions and work hard our hopes will come true.  

But definition number two is more…  hope and trust.  When you trust someone you are giving them a piece of your heart and mind.  You are joining forces with them to make something you’ve only dreamed about come to fruition.  Trust is ultimately taking all the weight out of your own hands and sharing it into someone else's hands also.  

How can we learn to do this freely, unashamedly, abundantly and not walk around hurt all the time?  People, while having the best intentions,  tend to disappoint.  

I have learned that hope is not of my own strength and power.  Hope comes from the Lord.  True hope, unending, undying hope comes from Jesus.  Jesus has a strong track record for follow through and we can trust Him.  We may not always get what we want but that doesn’t mean we aren’t getting what we need.  (Notice I didn’t say deserve.)  

If hope and trust are intermingled and I'm going to have a happier life when I can institute these two principles in my life I’m willing and ready.  Where do I sign up?  

First, you have to let the phrase it’s not fair pass away.  Life is not fair.  Not because we are being punished but because we are at different stages on our journey of life, we have different twists and turns, different stumbling blocks and skills, different end goals and callings on our life.  Put the blinders on and focus on what you can do and control. Work for what you hope for. 

Next, you must believe at a cellular level that Jesus does have your best interest at heart.  You have to believe no matter how good or bad the situation you are living through right now, if you release it to Him, He will use it for your good.  

How many stories of horrible abuse, torment, sadness, sickness, poverty etc… have you heard?  So many it breaks a person’s heart.  And how many stories of triumph have you heard over these things when they have given it to God?  How many times have you heard the ending changed?  Or maybe the ending didn’t change but the impact, the acceptance, the takeaway, the peace was different, bigger, better.  

No one likes the thought of going through hard things, but truly, I believe that God allows burdens that we are able to handle and with His strength we can not only bear the situation but we can bear witness to the Hope we have built.  

It doesn’t happen overnight.  It is a change of thoughts, when those red flag thoughts start to pop up and you can feel yourself heading into a deep, dark place, you have to change the tape.  You have to play a new tape in your mind.  A tape that tells you of all God’s promises.  A tape that tells you all the things you’ve already overcome.  A tape that tells you because of the past I can be certain that I am going towards the future with hope.  

Show up every day ready and willing to flex that muscle of hope.  If you don’t use it, you lose it.  Just like being able to pick up heavy weights, if you don’t do it regularly your strength diminishes.  Being hopeful in the hard times is like crushing a hard workout.  You faced it down, had your doubts, did it anyway and came out a little stronger for your efforts.  Daily life can be the same way.  

When your hope is coming from the Lord and in the Lord it doesn’t diminish.  No matter how tired you become, how distraught, how overwhelmed, your hope that situation is changing now or in the future never fades.  It seems almost unbelievable.  A  prayer that I’ve heard prayed since I was a child, “Give me peace that passes all understanding,” not because they couldn’t face what was happening but because they wanted peace and hope beyond what was expected in the situation for their own heart and for others to see.  

Where there is hope, there is peace, there is confidence, there is trust.  When you find the right combination of thoughts to feed your heart and mind, time spent with Jesus to work out those hope muscles and the ability to look at a situation and do everything you can in your power to make it the best regardless hope is built, hope grown, hope is cultivated.  

Hope is not a pie in the sky, idealistic, passing craze.  Hope is the foundation for all our tomorrows.  You can build it.  You can grow it.  You can leave a legacy of it.  Hope is for today.  Hope is for forever.