The Hope Filter
Oct 20, 2019
How often do you think about ~ or yet talk about ~ hope? The way it’s used in modern parlance, is more of a “wish.” Right?
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I hope it doesn’t rain.
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I hope I get those tickets.
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I hope I win the lottery.
There isn’t any substance behind those statements. No solid ground on which to stand. Nothing worth truly investing any emotional or mental energy in.
That’s not hope. I’m sure you know that… but do you really KNOW it? Understand it and apply it?
What does Hope look like?
For sure, hope is about the future… as I said last week, the future is where life is lived - in front of us, facing forward. When hope is present, there is an expectation of something good around the bend. It provides the space for a self-fulfilling prophecy. We expect good things, which then changes how we act today - and we begin to do things that prepare us for the future yet to come. We end up changing our direction and destination. The prophet Jeremiah told his suffering friends, “I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Hope also shows us possibilities. It helps us ask “what if…”? If we think we have no options, we feel stuck and defeated. Hope is that “thing” that helps us believe and understand that no matter how limited the choices may seem ~ right now ~ there’s usually an answer or solution we’ve yet to see. What if I ask more questions? What if I ask for help? The apostle James said to ask God for wisdom. After all, He’s generous and doesn’t mind giving it out. Amazingly, options begin to present themselves.
Finally, hope allows us to change our perspective. What if I look at it from a different angle? My view can’t possibly be the only one. Hope gives me the courage to step away from my vantage point just enough to catch a glimpse of another angle. The picture totally shifts ~ like zooming in or out on your camera lens. The apostle Peter told his First Century friends to focus their hopes firmly on the grace of God. That certainly broadens the perspective ~ all the way out.
Hope is not a wish, it’s a filter based on eternal truths. When we view our circumstances through that filter, doubts and fears become more manageable, allowing us to focus on what is true. Hope is the first step to change, toward the future, with all its possibilities. Hope is the antidote to fear and doubt.
How does understanding hope allow you to move forward?
Head over to my Facebook page and let me know… or better yet, join our Intentional Optimist Facebook Group, and join a community of women helping, teaching and mentoring other women. There you will find a safe place where we:
Jump on in - it’s time to laugh at the days to come!
~ Andrea
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