We All Hope, Right?

Hope is “a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.”  That sounds reasonable.  We all hope for things to get better, right?  We all hope for change that matters to us, our family, and even the world itself. 

There are lots of reasons to hope. A staple of writing for me seems to be a little research tool called Google.  If you ask the algorithms to search this topic for you, you might find 726 million results like I did.  I did not read them all.

A short synopsis reveals that people find hope in different categories.

• Theology
• Psychology
• Politics
• Climate-change
• Racial Disparity
• Ecology

People find expressions of hope that range widely.

• We have learned that community is vital.
• We have also learned that we can connect successfully although differently, using the tools of technology.
• Hawaii’s coral reefs are stabilizing after mass bleaching events.
• We find that heroes can make a giant difference. 
• Coronavirus vaccination has been introduced.
• New York’s Air Company is making vodka from carbon dioxide and water.  Well, it’s a start.
• Non-linear dynamics may save the day.

Alright.  Forget that last one.  Let’s concentrate on things we (I) understand.

How about these:

• Optimism feels good. Hope is not optimism but hopeful people are optimistic. Without looking forward to something good, we despair and then things can get very, very bad.
• When we are overwhelmed, hope can bring light to our darkest places.  It’s there to light a path forward, through our troubles into that hoped-for place of better.

We all know that a new year has begun.  I have always thought this was a time to reflect on the previous 12 months and decide how the next annum will be better.  We make promises to ourselves vowing to make this happen.  

We do these things in hope.  Even Annie believes the ‘sun will come out tomorrow’.

If you’ve been reading this blog for any time at all, you might notice that I like to share YouTube videos.  Some of them have been spectacularly produced commercials and some just lessons for life. Most of my 'shares' are music-related because that seems to strike a chord with me (yeah, I know…)

But here’s what I noticed and affects me every time I open YouTube. 

In the photo above, you'll see that there have been nearly 273,000 views.  Some of us like to give our opinions.  961 people indicated positivity. 119 people gave this little girl's performance a "thumbs down". Why?

Online anonymity seems to beg us to be less than we can be.  It seems to allow us the opportunity to destroy hope while negating positive influence without repercussion. Is this who we aspire to be?  

Patrick Ness says, "We are the choices we make."

My mother always said, "If you haven't anything good to say, don't say anything at all."  

Isaiah says in 40:31, ""But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

I have hope.  I hope to soar like an eagle.  I hope to run and not grow weary (yeah, this one!).  And I think this endurance will come as we lift each other up. 

When giving encouragement, we gift hope.  When we support others, we realize they also support us.  When we give hope, we also receive hope.

During this first week of the year, what is your hope?

My hope includes prayers for your hope.

Happy 2021