Hold On To Hope
“I woke up early this morning determined to drink less, eat right, and exercise. But that was four hours ago . . . when I was younger and full of hope.” ~ Anonymous
Today’s quote might make you laugh. It might make you chuckle and say, “Been there, done that, got the t-shirt.” It might make you pause and wonder how many times you give up hope so easily. Yes, that is part and parcel of our lives, is it not? We are called to be a people of hope but that hope is often short-lived.
Sometimes, we wake up in the morning and look at the day ahead. The weather is glorious, there are no problems in sight, and the day looks full off opportunity. Then it rains. Or someone says something to us that offends us. Or we make a mistake and have to go back and redo something. In those brief moments or encounters, we often change our outlook on the day. We could have been bright, chipper, and positive and we turn into dark, gloomy, and negative. All because of a brief moment.
It is hard to maintain a positive outlook. It is hard to be positive in a world that is often negative and against all that we believe. However, it is important for us to hold on to the hope given to us by the saving action of our Lord, Jesus Christ. That world is dark and steeped in sin and many people in the world have become absorbed into the world’s negativity.
It only takes one person. That’s right. It only takes one person to break someone out of the negative hold that the world has on that person. By our words and actions, we can bring light, peace, joy, and, most of all, hope to a person who needs it so desperately. We know how easy it is to become despondent. Hopefully, we also know how easy it is to snap out of it because of what someone else said or did for us.
Be the little ray of hope for someone else. In doing so, you will also reinforce the hope nursed in your own heart. The day can be bright, chipper, and positive or dark, gloomy, and negative. It becomes so, in large part, because we allow it to happen. Let hope happen today.
FAITH ACTION: Focus on the hope that never ends, the life won for us by Jesus Christ, our Lord.