HOPE - Monday, November 16, 2020

 HOPE - Monday, November 16, 2020

https://positivepsychology.com/hope-therapy/#hope 

Sometimes I wonder how I pick the topics I write on.  I used to write mostly on technology articles, new innovations, and things that interested me.  Now, I write on feelings, emotions, depression, self-help, and issues that I have faced.  I felt ‘compelled’ to write on LOVE WINS; then to do a Saturday Fiction Story; and then to have some fun on Sunday.  

About two weeks ago, I picked a topic for this week, but as it came closer to writing, I just didn’t want to write on it.  So, today, I’m writing on HOPE.

The New King James translation says, ''Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

The implication is that we can HOPE for something that we can’t see.  

In the Biblical sense, I think the intent of this verse is to say even though we don’t see heaven and don’t really know about heaven - we can believe and continue to HOPE that there is a heaven.  

That Biblical Passage talks about people of faith, who didn’t really see the future and yet believed in hope. Like Abraham being promised he would be the father of many nations - and yet he and his wife didn’t have children (yet).

  

Wikipedia describes hope this way: “Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's life or the world at large. As a verb, its definitions include: "expect with confidence" and "to cherish a desire with anticipation."

So, what do you hope for?

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Let’s get some background on hope.

According to Snyder’s Hope Theory (Snyder, 1991), hopefulness is a life-sustaining human strength comprised of three distinct but related components:

-. Goals

-. Will-Power

-. Way-Power

Hmmm - “Goals” thinking.

But, shouldn’t goals be specific?  Can I have “hope for world peace”?  Is “World Peace” a goal of mine, a hope of mine, a desire of mine? I think goals (at least to me) imply working towards something.  I might have hope that one day I will be exactly at my ideal weight - but hoping doesn’t get me there - diet and exercise do.  [Every day, I have ‘hope’ that my daily blog will get written - but I need this as a goal - to set down and do it.]

So, back to Snyder’s Hope Theory - we have goals; but we need will-power.

Will-power, determination, setting our mind like “flint” (Isaiah 50:7: “Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint,  and I know I will not be put to shame.”).  

Have you ever set your face (your brain, your mind) like flint?  Has a concept become so real and so important to you that you make it of supreme importance in your life?  

Let’s go to an intangible hope - I hope for World Peace.  Can I achieve world peace?  Not on my own.  But, let’s say you set your mind like flint for World Peace.  You get up every morning and you say “I will work on World Peace today”.  As you go through the day, your mind is set on World Peace.  One-by-one, each person you meet sees that determination in you.  One-by-one, people start saying “Hey, we could have World Peace”.  You start speaking before local groups.  You tell your students that you want World Peace.  In your church/synagogue/place of worship, you say that you believe in World Peace.  You get to speak before a city council group, a PTA group, a larger church group.  You find others with their minds set like flint for World Peace.  You vote for World Peace candidates.  Eventually, the US and Russia back down on bombs; even Iran, China, North Korea back down on bombs.  India and Israel back down on bombs.  

WHY?  Because one person “set their face like flint” for World Peace.  

What if you set your face like flint to get rid of street drugs. It becomes a deep passion.  And, you recruit others and work towards this goal.

What if you set your face like flint to get rid of black/white misunderstanding?  Can one person make a difference?

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The third leg of Snyder’s HOPE theory is “Way-Power”

Remember the adage “Where there’s a will there's a way”?  If your hope is set like flint, you have the passion to get there, you will find a path.

Imagine multiple ways to reach a goal (not just plan A or B, but plan A, B, C, D & E thinking);

Switch strategies whenever you hit a setback or obstacle (as opposed to giving up, or trying harder to seek a new result with the same old strategy).  So, you got booed at a conference where you talked about World Peace and downsizing nuclear weapons (aka “weapons of mass destruction”) - cutting back on wars, working on understanding.  You got booed and laughed at.  How can you still get your message across?  Maybe it isn’t the message, maybe it is you.  Maybe you need to be more loving in your presentation; maybe you need to soften your harsh language; maybe you need to gain little victories.

Breakdown big stuff into small steps (so it’s not so overwhelming).

*****

So HOPE for better things.  The “Love Chapter” in the Bible (1 Corinthians 13), ends with this statement “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.”  Yes, the greatest is LOVE - LOVE WINS - but the three listed are faith, HOPE, and love.  HOPE for better things, hope for the future, but set your mind towards that goal, love people, believe that you can do it!!!  (I sure am!!!)

LOVE WINS!!

Hugs!!

Karen