One night a couple weeks ago, my younger sister Amy looked at me with a sad expression, and asked “how do you have hope?”. The question hit me deep inside, because I can remember back to this time last year, where hope was an abstract and evasive concept, but one that I was determined to hold onto until I felt its reality. If someone had asked me this question last year, I would simply have broke down crying.
Instead, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. As I let it out, I sighed, “sometimes it’s so hard…” After a pause, I continued, “But I find hope in a beautiful kid’s smile. A kid that comes from a broken and hurting past, but a smile that says they can be different. I find hope in knowing that I can love this kid, that I can do my small part in helping them change their world and take hold of their own future… I find hope when I’m outside. When I’m eveloped in nature and it’s perfect: I know that this is how the world is intended to be. I find hope in the peace and the glory of it all, because it shows me that there is a God, and that if He cares enough to create all of this just for the sake of beauty, then He certainly cares about creating beauty through all of the pain we encounter. I find hope in knowing that God is eternal, and that He has created me to be eternal… That there is more than, and there is a purpose for, everything we deal with.”
I took another deep breath and smiled quietly, “that’s how I have hope.”
philosophyoflife said,
November 3, 2007 at 9:06 am
Oh, that is so very sweet and so deeply emotive too. A wise choice indeed and I do hope that your younger sister has reflected on such beautiful thoughts.
Your caring response will undoubtedly be reflected equally in your ‘Emergency’ capacity too – and a dedication worthy of such praise
bbZuSh said,
November 4, 2007 at 9:07 am
I love the way you talk of hope… Most people don’t have any and it hurts sometimes, to see them like this… I hope your post may hope to bring light to those who find none… Thank you for sharing
alaskabeck said,
November 4, 2007 at 9:25 pm
Peter –
Thank you for your thoughts and encouragement!
bbZush –
I agree; it is very painful to see people without hope. I think that’s one reason why it has become such an important thing to me over the last year. I’ve found that it changes my perspective and attitude about a lot of things when I focus on reasons for hope. Thank you for your comment!