For hope to exist, there must first be hopelessness.
Over the past month, I’ve watched two families deal with daughters who fell and developed traumatic brain injuries. The feeling of hope, of confident expectation of healing, has been palpable. Its reached through the screen of my phone and my laptop and grabbed my attention.
The hope that each family has expressed has been amazing to witness.
It’s been encouraging.
It’s been a gift.
It’s been contagious.
But, it hasn’t always been easy.
The first daughter to be injured is a member of my extended family that I rarely see, so all of my updates have been through Facebook. I’m not in my Facebook feed that often, but I was for quite a while as I searched for updates. I’m happy to report she is doing well and in a rehabilitation facility relearning how to do a few things.
The second daughter is from a family I’ve never met, and have only followed on Instagram. I check for updates from both parents to hear how she, and they, are doing. Their journey continues and progress is slow. Hope is evident in all they post along with the difficulties of fighting fear. (You can read more about Eva – pronounced Ava – here and here.)
Both families have demonstrated strength, faith, and hope. The hope they have all expressed, fought for, and prayed for, has come out of facing injuries that at first glance were hopeless.
Through each journey, the hope they have have fought for has produced endurance and perseverance. It has been expectant. It has become a faith-filled hope.
Focusing on Hope
Hope is a word that I will be focusing on for the next few months, both for me personally and here on the blog. It’s come at me from so many different directions lately that it grabbed my attention and practically demanded that I take a more in-depth look at the word.
So, I’ve taken some time to read what others have to say about hope. I’ve looked the word up in different dictionaries. I’ve collected a long list of Bible verses that talk about hope. I’ve started to ask others what hope means to them.
It feels like I’m just scratching the surface and that there is a lot more still to learn.
Defining Hope
Depending on what dictionary you use, you will most likely see definitions like:
- A feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.
- A feeling of trust.
You will also see synonyms like:
- Expect
- Faith
- Trust
- Belief
- Assurance
- Optimistic
- Idealistic
- Positive
I’ve started to journal about hope and what it means to me. Here a few of the notes I’ve jotted down:
- A bright light in a dark room.
- Crocuses beginning to show themselves signaling spring.
- Starting a campfire with a small spark that grows into a glowing fire.
- Watching a beautiful morning sunrise.
These all word pictures of what hope looks like to me.
Cultivating Hope
My word for 2019 has been “Cultivate,” and hope is a trait that I want to cultivate more of this year. I have more notes, will continue read and explore hope. I’ll be sharing more of what I learn in the coming weeks.
The best sermon you preach to yourself this week may be only three words long: ‘Hope in God!’ -Richard Sibbes
I’d love to year from you.
1) How do you cultivate hope?
2) How do you define hope?
Marta Goertzen is an entrepreneur, writer, WordPress Website developer, and nature photographer. She daily explores the trails and beaches of the South Central Oregon Coast with her dogs Oliver & Mochi. You can follow along on their adventures on Instagram. Marta also fully believes that change starts with gratitude and that gratitude can change everything. Find out how with the “Grateful Friday 7-Days of Gratitude Starter Kit”