Be Hope-full

When our daughter first joined a soccer league, her team struggled for some time. They worked very hard at practice but were still developing the skills to play well. They experienced one loss after another, which made her feel very discouraged. She would sometimes dress in tears, saying, "I don't see the point in playing when we're just going to lose."  Every game, we had to encourage, and pep talk her to go in and give it her best. I reminded her that I was more concerned about the skills she was developing while practicing and playing than actually winning a game.  Without our encouragement, she would probably quit the team.  

Life can often feel like an unending series of challenges, one after another, leading to a profound sense of hopelessness. Just as our daughter struggled to envision a win, hopelessness is the absence of any expectation of a favorable outcome. It is a state where you try to think positively about the future but find yourself overwhelmed by negative emotions and trapped in a cycle of negative thinking.  

Where then is my hope-who can see any hope for me? (Job 17:15 NIV)

Most psychological experts will affirm that recovery from hopelessness involves seeing a desirable future and taking steps in the present to secure it.

When we immerse ourselves in God's word, that's precisely what happens.  He infuses our hopeless hearts with glimpses of hope.  Even when we find it difficult to think positively on our own, God has the ability to deposit hopeful thoughts into our minds. 

…so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide, we might have hope. (Ro.15:4)

Just like I encourage my daughter to believe that the skills she develops through practice will eventually lead to success, God's word continually affirms that our trials have a purpose. Through these challenges, He builds character in us, which will help us attain our purpose and goals in the future. The more we dwell on His word, the more He infuses us with hope and strength. He aims to bring us from hopeless to a state of being hope-full, in other words, where our hope is in overflow.  

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.