HOPE is one of those words and actions that can mean so much or so little depending on the person. If beauty is in the eye of the beholder then HOPE should be in the heart of the believer.

“Alexa, Order a Case of Hope…”

Journey said it best: ‘Don’t stop believin’, hold on to that feeling’! As iconic as that song is, it brings a lot of truth and even perspective to the topic of HOPE. Hope comes in handy when you’ve lost your assurity of a situation. Maybe things are starting to look a little bleak and not going your way, or the odds are stacking higher and higher against you – either way, hope will help you to keep pushing forward. Think of it like an energy drink for your will. Remember all of those commercials that showed people weak and unable to go through their day? Then all of a sudden, they take that energy drink and BAM!, they’re moving and grooving and ready to tackle the rest of their day. That’s what hope does – give you that boost for you to keep moving forward.

Now that we know a bit about what hope is and what it does, let’s talk about where we find it. Honestly, isn’t not that hard to find, it can just be harder to recognize. Hope can be found in some of the most unusual places by hearing, seeing, or even experiencing. Watching an athlete practice a skill until they master it might ‘give someone hope’, experiencing strangers doing random acts of kindness might give someone hope too. You never know when it might pop up, you just have to be ready to look for it. You can’t order this online, this is an organic element that can have a life of it’s own – you just have to do your part to keep it alive and let it bring life to you!

Catch the Flame

When you see people around you that have hope, try to catch on and keep it growing and going! The flame of hope has the potential to spread and encourage the hearts of many, however, all it takes is one person to put harm toward the flame and diminish its power. We have to do our best to protect our hope and keep the fire burning. It may be light for us now, but sooner or later you or someone else will need it and we’ve got to be ready. In order to stay ready for yourself and other, ask yourself a few questions:

1. How do you ‘protect your hope’?
2. Do the people around you help strengthen your hope or harm it?
3. Who around you needs hope the most? How can you give it to them?
4. What’s the last thing you saw/heard/experienced that gave you hope?

HOPE can be found everywhere if you look for it. For our sake and others, we’ve got to do our part to keep the flame of hope alive and burning. The world can get dark when there’s no light to shine in it, but HOPE will light the way.