Hope is the essence of life itself! Without hope, life would be pointless and meaningless. We witnessed one of the greatest moments of hope just this past May, when three women emerged from a house of horrors after 10 years of torture in Cleveland. The belief that things will get better as time goes on has sustained mankind since the birth of humanity.
The nature of hope itself has been a subject of many debates throughout the course of history. Questions such as what is hope, can we have too much of it, are there any times when we need to give up hope, and is any situation really hopeless? Those are the questions that philosophers have wrestled with since the beginning of time. No matter the position that you take, there is always going to be opposition to your beliefs. Everybody has an opinion that they so freely feel that they need to voice.
Hope is the foundation of life! We all need hope to propel us to the next level in our journey throughout life. Jeremiah 29:11, for I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future In this passage of scripture we see that even God has great hopes for all of us, a wonderful plan for everyone. In Gods kingdom hope is a hot commodity. The whole New Testament is built on the hope of eternal life through his son Jesus Christ.
If we look back to the 1800s in U.S. history, we will see an influx in immigration to this country via Ellis Island. All of the people who passed through Ellis Island did so with the hopes of chasing their dreams and following their hearts desires. The hope for a better life for you and me is what fueled the American engine for the past 237 years.
Some people give up way too easily, to the point where it becomes ridiculous. They dont have any sense of direction in their lives whatsoever. People think that life is something to endure. They dont have any happiness, joy or even hope for today. Life is one endless grind where you keep going in circles, never getting ahead. To those who think that way let me say, that you are missing out on so much that life has to offer. You heard the expression life just happens, and sometimes that is true. However, sometimes we have to help life happen.
When I turned 16, I wanted to learn how to drive, but trying to convince my parents was a whole other story in itself. My cerebral palsy was a big hindrance when it came to driving. I received a call one day about a driving school that had the capability to teach disabled people how to drive. I attended a meeting at the Holmes County Training Center, and suddenly it seemed to come together. I had to go to a rehabilitation center and go through a driving simulation and I passed. I enrolled in the class, and when it was all said and done, my instructor said that he felt safe letting me on the road. Driving was difficult. I didnt know how to manage the wheel at first. There were times when I questioned myself and thought it was hopeless, because I either didnt hit the brakes soon enough so I had to slam them, or I turned too wide and had to stop in the middle and re-adjust.
I remember some people who tried to talk me out of driving. They were afraid of me losing control of the car and hitting something, or, God forbid, someone. When I heard comments like that, it made me even more determined to prove them wrong. After lots of practice and prayer, I finally was able to pass my drivers test and obtain my drivers license.
The question whether or not a situation is hopeless is a perplexing one that confounded the wise for many millennia. I heard many stories where things looked hopeless, and then at the last minute it all turned around. I guess the best way to get you to see what I am getting at is to have you look back into your past. Was there a time where you were in a hopeless situation and you thought that things were never going to get better, and then they did? Your brain may automatically be thinking, I have never been in a situation like that because nothing has ever ended well for me, and that is why some of you need to take time out and really think about it. I can sit here and tell you about a hopeless situation that turned around, but I want you to think it through looking at your own life. Yes I want you to own it for yourself, because maybe it will inspire you when you are in a similar situation.
We need to cleave to hope at every opportunity. Without it we will not know what might have been if we just would have held on a little bit longer. Read things that will give you inspiration to reach higher in your life. Never ever give up hope!
