Crushing Hope

You’ve got no choice.

Turn off the news.  Go outside and take a deep breath.  Do the one thing you know will bring a smile to your face.  Forget your troubles for an hour.

Recently, I was accused of irrational optimism.  It was not meant to describe a virtue I might possess.  It was meant as a statement of deep distrust of me from one of my readers.

The person who stood before me, angry and anxious, was responding to this blog site of all things.  “How can you write so casually about hope and joy?  To you, it seems I should be able to wish away my cares and just be happy.  It doesn’t work that way.”

He was correct, that’s not the way hope and joy work.  Hope and joy are born from the occasional anxiety and anger by which we all suffer.  There is not one of us who will escape losing hope, being overwhelmed, sinking into despair, losing our way.

I don’t know what caused the meltdown of the person who stood before me.  His hopelessness was real.  He resented my weekly blog posts.  According to him, my posts always ended with a feeling that everything should be ok.

He continued, “There are times when nothing goes as planned, when everything is far from being OK.”  My accuser did not believe I understood his pain and frustration.

I do understand my pain and my frustration. The most that I could have said to him was that I too, have felt overwhelmed, angry and alone.  He never would have heard it.  He wouldn’t have believed it.

“I’ll never read another one of your posts,” he said.  To him, I was a pretender, one who saw the glass half full, even as he saw the glass just about empty.

But on the slim chance that he decides to take one more look at this blog, I want to add this just for him.

Ever since I came to faith in God, I have chosen to be guided by two premises.  I first read these two premise in the Bible, but I am certain the  origin of these maxims is even more ancient than the Old Testament.

First, there are good forces in the world.  There are evil forces in the world.  My task, with each decision or action I make, is to be guided by good.  Evil will work on me.  I can prevail with the help of God, my family, and my friends.  They are my real strength.  Alone, I am certain I would choose other actions.

Second, again from the Bible (and with the same caveat as above), when all is said and done, “Now faith, hope, and love remain – these three things – and the greatest of these is love.”                                                     (1 Corinthians 13:13, Common English Bible)

And the way I choose to offer love in the world is to discover ways to ease the suffering of folks I meet who are in need.  I offer this to them without condition.

So that’s why I am writing to you today.  You know who you are.  Through this blog, I stand ready to offer you glimpses of hope.  I offer you my attention and my responses.  I pledge to read, to listen, and if you’d like, to respond to your concerns.

When I needed a source of hope, I was given this verse on which to meditate.

Arise!  Shine! Your light has come; the Lord’s glory has shone upon you,  Though darkness covers the earth and the gloom of the nations, the Lord will shine upon you; God’s glory will appear over you.  Nations will come to your light and kings to your dawning radiance (Isaiah 60:1-4, Common English Bible).

You are not alone.  There is a source of hope waiting for you.  Your source may not be my source, but together we can help one another find hope and peace.  Be well my friend.  I hope to hear from you.

Author: Jon

Aspiring Writer and Blogger. Former Banker, Teacher, Headmaster and Pastor. View all posts by Jon