The Power and Promise of Hope
Is there some emotion or response I can grab hold of to fill the gap between feeling disappointed and feeling angry? I am not yet angry at the lack of principled leadership in organizations such as government and faith-based communities. I am, however, more than disappointed. I don’t know how to define my unease or how to resolve my disappointment. Without some potential remedy, I am concerned that anger may result.
When you believe in something you act in accord with those beliefs and your subsequent actions result in outcomes of hope or disappointment. It really is that simple. Put another way, choosing what you believe in and what actions you decide to take in living out your beliefs results in either living with a sense of hope or with a sense that things are “out of your control.” If we give up the right to hold individual beliefs or to freely act in accordance with our beliefs, feelings of anxiety, tension, anger, and disappointment can take the place of the hope we are seeking.
I promised that I would share some “good news” with you in the second installment of this three-part series on hope. To that end I want to offer eight “beliefs” that influence many of us. Then I will suggest “good news” actions that can result in hopeful outcomes. For the discerning among the folks who are reading this post, you may recognize the eight beliefs to which I am refering. These beliefs substantially affect the quality of our lives and consequently our sense of worth.
Continue reading “Finding Hope One Step At A Time – Step Two”