Hope: a Powerful Force

“Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments.”-Habbukuk 3: 17-19 (KJV)

Hope expects good. Fear expects evil. It’s that simple. It’s easy to anticipate a future of trials if all we’ve known is battles. So how do we turn that around?

Freeneville.com is the uplifting website of Neville Goddard, a lecturer, radio host, and author. In an article, he gives two definitions for getting stuck in pessimistic thinking:

• Negative auto-pilot (Defeatist attitude--takes over the mind and drives us into mountains, ditches, or wherever it chooses.)
• Negative imaginings (Dismal expectations of events, people, pretty much everything)

 Goddard doesn’t leave his followers without solutions for default negativity. He ends his writing with this powerful quote: “…you are bigger than any state…you can create a new direction in life—at anytime.”

Quotes on Hope from goodreads.com

“Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.”― Alexander Pope

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“Hope

Smiles from the threshold of the year to come,

Whispering 'it will be happier'...”― Alfred Lord Tennyson

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“I have come to accept the feeling of not knowing where I am going. And I have trained myself to love it. Because it is only when we are suspended in mid-air with no landing in sight, that we force our wings to unravel and alas begin our flight. And as we fly, we still may not know where we are going to. But the miracle is in the unfolding of the wings. You may not know where you're going, but you know that so long as you spread your wings, the winds will carry you.”― C. JoyBell C.

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“Hope can be a powerful force. Maybe there's no actual magic in it, but when you know what you hope for most and hold it like a light within you, you can make things happen, almost like magic.”― Laini Taylor, Daughter of Smoke & Bone

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“You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep Spring from coming.”― Pablo Neruda

 “Unbreakable”

This song by the Contemporary Christian Group, Fireflight, promotes a “Can Do” message. The following segment is a prime example of empowerment:

“Forget the fear, it’s just the crutch that tries to hold you back and turn your dreams to dust. All you need to do is just trust.”

My Conclusion

“When life hits hard, it plunges us into a sea of questions we hoped we'd never have to ask. But when you feel broken, abandoned, and struggling to find answers, there's a beacon in the storm.” Pastor Craig Groeschel

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A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success. Elbert Hubbard, brainyquote.com

Does hope drive you?