How do you find hope when you feel lost?
Hope is an interesting topic. There are many Bible verses and quotes on the topic. I admit to being an eternal optimist, I believe that good is coming in one way or another. That all boils down to one simple word. Hope. In some ways faith and hope are so intertwined that I’m not sure I could separate them. Both deal with belief in what I can’t see.
The best way I can describe it is planting a seed, it grows and one day a beautiful flower opens. It’s pretty miraculous. If I sow seeds of hope, amazing things happen. I sow them a little each day in prayer, in giving grace to those around me, and always in nature. If an acorn can grow into a really tall tree, why wouldn’t a little hope become something glorious?
When your life inexplicably changes, where do you find hope? We all experience change; a loss, a diagnosis, a job change, a new baby, often it’s all at once. Do you wonder where God is amidst all of the struggles? God doesn’t leave us. It’s all about your perspective. I agree it doesn’t feel good to be the one “holding it all together” for everyone else- or even just for yourself. Do you believe that there is good in everything, even tragedy and struggle? That’s hope.
When something is hard, or I feel overwhelmed, I remind myself that where I am now is not where I will be forever. If I feel stuck and the bad stuff doesn’t seem to be moving, how do I get out? Something that helps me is to actually get out, in nature, with friends, or to church. A change in scenery always helps me. I can also escape into a good book or into my kitchen to bake. It just takes one small move to well, move.
Wherever you are right now, it’s not a forever place, it’s temporary unless you choose to stay there. Make a small move today. Decide to plant a seed of hope and see what happens. Good things are coming. I know it. Do you?
