Encouragement
"Lord,let us not lose our hope. In your good time the truth will be established."
In these uncertain times it is very easy to get discouraged, to doubt, and to lose hope. We encounter many testing times as we go about our daily lives; we try to make ends meet when money is scarce, and we constantly tell ourselves that things are going to get better. We all have our dreams and may even make resolutions with the best intentions, but every so often life has a habit of going pear-shaped, and things don’t turn out as we had hoped. Sometimes we become disenchanted, and we begin to wonder if we will ever achieve our dreams.
We may even think, “What’s the good of trying. What’s the good of hoping?” When we are faced with this kind of situation we are often inclined to believe that this is peculiar to us alone, and that nobody else has ever suffered like this. The danger here is that this state of mind drains us of our natural energy, mental as well as physical, often to the point of exhaustion. Worse still, we lose faith in ourselves, and what confidence we have is shot to pieces.
First of all, if we want to have hope, we must have faith in ourselves, yet for some people this is most difficult to sustain. So we must consistently remind ourselves of just how important we are in the great scheme of things, for there is no one else, never has been, and never will be, in the whole world who has the same unique combination of talents and gifts as we have. The biggest mistake of all is to undervalue ourselves, to consider ourselves worthless, to believe that we have nothing to contribute. If we wish to be of value to others, whether they are family, or friends, or even strangers, then we must have faith in ourselves and in our capabilities.
And if our hope and faith should waver for any reason, we must just think, or better still, say to ourselves over and over again “I can do all things in Him who strengthens me.” Using this powerful combination of hope and religious faith, we will have been given the key to an unconquerable spirit.
In coping with the setbacks in life the positive and hopeful attitude is an invaluable asset, for it has often been shown to have a great therapeutic value where there is a poor physical or spiritual condition. After all, if we think gloomy thoughts, or indulge in self-pity for long enough, we can actually bring an illness upon ourselves. Living at all times with hope destroys fear, and it helps to restore health-giving strength to the body.
There is a wonderful story about Sir William Robert Nicoll, who, when he was a young man, was a promising preacher in a small Scottish border town. He had a commanding voice and a gift for oratory, but one day illness struck him down and he was left with virtually no voice, and could only speak a little above a whisper. His dreams of being a great preacher were shattered and he was plunged into the depths of despair. But after much soul searching and prayer courage and hope reasserted themselves, and he turned his gifts instead to journalism where he became editor of a major newspaper, and found a new life as rich and rewarding as any man could hope for.
Sadly, some people who focus on hope are derided, and accused of being unrealistic. But where there is hope there is a possibility. As soon as someone emerges with the belief that they can overcome a problem, hope is born. Hoping is to dream of a fulfilling and positive tomorrow, of pushing past the boundaries set by others less gifted, of trying new ways where the old methods have failed. Hope gives us courage.
It is testing the seemingly impossible, and finding a way through. And most of all, hope is there waiting for us to call upon, free of charge. So, we must begin each new day full of hope, and let it inspire us on to greater things. We must hope for the best, and then do whatever we have to do to make it happen. If we live constantly with an attitude of hope, accompanied by faith in action, then we will surely live a more fulfilling, and rewarding life.
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