Hope is one of those things in life you cannot do without. LeRoy Douglas
It is hope that allows you the luxury of failure or else we would have given up the very first time we failed. If you just reflect on the numerous things we have attempted and failed, it would occur to us that but for the encouragement of those who are concerned with our well being and the small doses of hope they instilled in us, we would be sorely tempted to remain frustrated and despondent for the rest of our life.
So then what is hope? Hope is the feeling of self worth and optimism that a person has within to face the challenges of life. Hope is what people cling on to when they are their wits end trying to cope with the pressures of daily life and occasionally, when confronted with the unexpected twists of fate. Imagine your horror if told that a close family member is suddenly diagnosed with a tumor in the brain or stricken by advanced stage of cancer. Hope is the feeling you get that the person will beat the disease, get healthier and resume normal life. Hope is also what spurs you on to find a cure, give courage to the afflicted and those distressed and dispirited.
Hope gives us a reason to believe that the tide will change, the darkness will vanish and that if we hang in there we shall be rescued. It helps us find the hidden reserves of strength within us, stimulates our passive faculties into action and helps us regain our equanimity which may have been disturbed initially. We must against hope masquerading as dogmatism and stubbornness both of which can misguide us into false beliefs and irrational thinking. E.g. A brain dead person can never be revived and it is better to accept that reality rather than getting second and third and more opinions and refusing to pull the plug. Similarly if we have no aptitude for a subject and we continue to dogmatically try to master it we will waste our time and resources in vain.
Remember: Hope is some extraordinary spiritual grace that God gives us to control our fears, not to oust them. ~Vincent McNabb
Try these:
- Think of what words you will use to console and give hope to a couple who have recently lost their only child? How would you give solace to a young child who failed his final exams because of illness and has to repeat the year?
- What are some of you fears/ things you dread? How do you pick up courage to face the ordeal? At times the work gets to you and you become both desperate and pessimistic; how will you handle such situations?
This post is courtesy www.actspot.com
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