Ray of Hope

"I am learning everyday to allow the space between where I am and where I want to be to inspire me, and not terrify me" Tracee Ellis Ross

I have been trudging through trying times of late, and I know I am not alone. Darkness seems to have engulfed me, and I struggle daily so hope is not lost. The world seems gloomier, and other people look far more prosperous.  Life has that funny way of reminding us that its not a smooth plane; its full of ups and downs. So I seek solace in the fact that this too shall pass. There is light at the end of the tunnel, and I may not get what I want but I will get what I deserve (which, as a Christian, I believe will be far greater than my wants and hopes).

"If you saw the size of the blessing coming, you would understand the magnitude of the battle you are fighting" Anon.

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"Hope is definitely not the same thing as optimism. It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out" 

Vaclav Havel

One definition of hope is "desire accompanied by expectation". I agree with that definition to a certain extent, but always believed hope was the marriage of that definition with some element of action. Hope cannot be based on inactivity, as that will be futile. But I am slowly learning that 'hope' is the atheist equivalent of a religious 'faith', and that requires supplication of one's burdens unto God.

"Courage is the choice to act in faith while fear is present" Anon

 

Seven Dials Music Festival

"By perseverance, the snail reached the Ark" Charles Spurgeon

It's hard because we live in a world that teaches us that our futures are within our autonomous control, and it is dependent on our level of proactivity, or ability to network, or the intuitive judgment of the individual. To a certain extent, all that is still required, but thankfully my faith allows me not to base my failures or flaws solely on myself, but view it as a bigger lesson leading me to a greater accomplishment...and THAT is hope.

"Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness" Desmond Tutu

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"Always keep your head up because if its down you won't be able to see the blessings that have been placed in your life" Anon

Hope is the ray of sunshine that I now find beaming down at me; the realisation that life's trials and tribulations are Job-like lessons serving a greater purpose. Document them if you will, because they will serve as great dinner-table fables in years to come. I am choosing to never lose sight of the struggle so that I can truly appreciate the view at the summit. 

"To live without hope is to cease to live" Fyodor Dostoevsky

"Hope is tomorrow's veneer over today's disappointment" Evan Esar