What Is Hope?

What is Hope and Why Do We Have It?

There is record of the word hope in English, though in varying form, dating back to before the twelfth century and even earlier in Hebrew.  I have a good feeling that even before there was a word, there was an action- a longing, an expectation, an anticipation.  It’s like the human equivalent of an animal’s instinct- a built in feature.  Not to say that animals don’t hope and humans don’t have instinct.  It could be that both of these things are interchangeable and innate with all life.  We need hope to live, thrive, and find our purpose.  That is why I am fortunate to have it.

A Woman’s Hope Is Powerful

Remember when you were waiting on that special guy to pop the question or expecting your first child?  Can you recall dreaming or even visualizing these important events when you were a teen or even a young girl?  Through hope we actually begin to form our lives from the beginning.  We form ideas about what we want to do, who we want to be, what kind of marriage, children, and career we want.  And, though, every whim that we have along the way doesn’t come to pass (thank God), we generally have a pretty good outline of our futures by the time we are young adults.  Hope moves women to make things better in their homes and in all the businesses and organizations in which they work.  It’s powerful.

What Happens If We Don’t Have It?

Because of the immense power that hope has, if a person loses it, that is when despair enters.  With nothing to look forward to and no way of changing things, women (humans) get introvert and depressed.  This is a dangerous place to be.  I’ve been there myself.  Even having faith in God, I have found myself in despair and loneliness.  The lack of hope is a state of mind that manifests in actions; just as having it manifests in actions.  Usually, the loss of hope is temporary.  However, occasionally, it can be a chronic condition that doesn’t end well.  I believe this is why an individual gets to a place where they can take their own life.

How Do I Get It and Keep It?

First of all, you have to understand that hope is something that is bigger than us.  It’s a product of spirit and soul.  For me, trusting that I am a part of something greater than myself; that I am a child of God; that I can get intuitive answers to my questions are all huge reasons that I have general hope.

Everyday hope is somewhat different.  You hope your children don’t get the flu; you hope you get the promotion; you hope you have enough money to pay your bills.  This is where the action comes in.  We tend to have more hope in the things that we’ve acted on positively.  For example, you feed your kids healthful foods, teach them hygiene, and give them what they need; the fact that you’ve done these “actions” provides a substance that supports hope.  Doing the opposite negative things like letting them live on sugar and fat, not teaching appropriate cleanliness, and not giving them a clean environment in which to live would not give you the same substantial reason to expect a good outcome.

In conclusion, we can say that hope is a necessary part of our lives as women, mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, businesswomen, and mentors.  We must learn to draw on the strength of a greater power; we must act on our expectations; and we must not give up hope when things don’t happen the way we think they should.  What are you hoping for?

BE YOU!

Photo 1 by Whitebook; photo 2 by Ingrid-seven