Hope

Someone once asked me what it was that I wanted to do with my life over the course of a semester. Basically, if I could use my life to do one thing, what would it be?

My answer to that was that above all things, I wanted to give people "Hope". It's just one of those things that gives life its spice. Nothing diminishes the human spirit more than despair, nothing weakens us more than hopes being crushed.

There is no substitute for hope. I've seen people try to plug the deficit with money, with their unbridled passions, or perhaps revert to an impervious form of cynicism. All of these attempts will at best render someone 'functional' in this cruel world, but they never quite live that life that the Lord aimed for us to have (I come that you might have life, and have it in abundance - John 10:10)

I've heard people say that life is short, but you never really get time to think about it while you're going through the motions. But if you live through life without any hope, every day lived is an eternity; your passions which are meant to make you so wholly attuned and at peace with this world will only make things worse. Devoid of a driving force, pleasure fades from things once enjoyable, and I think numbness would probably be a more pleasant respite [than living with the memory of what it once felt like to be 'normal'].

Back to that matter at hand - preserving/restoring/renewing another person's hope. Hope is a tricky thing to start with. I'd err on the side of caution and try to preserve it simply because there is no exact remedy for bringing it back. In this world "when it rains, it pours"; a tender crushed heart is just primed for another speedy beating.
Another reason I advocate preservation is because it's something that's relatively easy to do. Acknowledgment of another's presence, a kind word of encouragement, bearing another's burden, a loving smile, showing patience and letting a slight against you slide, forgiving the unforgivable, being there to listen...

Humans have progressed a lot in these past centuries, but in spite of that progress we might still overlook the very basic potent power inherent in every human being, the mystery that we've been so well put-together since the beginning; so well put-together, in fact, that we're supposed to heal this world and those around us if they need it. And of course, it's the small details about our interactions that count the most.

I realize my penchant for going on tangents, but allow this one: my mind gravitates towards one lyric in love songs I always heard growing up - "I'd swim the seven seas for you" [pretty dated, I know].
Pretty bold statement for a man to make, but I always wondered whether that same man would be prepared to put up with his lady's insecurities, annoying habits and other idiosyncrasies...or even take her shoe-shopping?
And the same thing applies to life: it's not about giving up the "now" for the 'promise of the infinite', but rather living a full expression of the "now" in preparation for the infinite.

So if hope be that potion that assures you abundant life, guarantee that it steadily increases within your life. And by all means, SHARE IT!

God Bless