April 20, 2020

Hope: an Anchor in Troubled Waters



Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost."-- Romans 15:13 (KJV)


“The one thing you can’t take away from me is the way I choose to respond to what you do to me. The last of one’s freedoms is to choose one’s attitude in any given circumstance.”—Viktor E. Frankl (Austrian neurologist, psychiatrist, and Holocaust survivor)

Many people won’t have to deal with the extremes of mass torture and slaughter, as Dr. Frankl did. His theme can still be related to any traumatic time: we choose our attitude. He chose hope. We can, too.

What is hope? It’s not passive, but active. Synonyms, according to Merriam-Webster, include expect and look. Google defines the word as “a feeling of expectation or desire as defined by these words: dream, longing, and yearning”

Quotes on Hope from the Bible and from shutterfly.com

"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."-- Romans 8:18 (KJV)
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“We have always held to the hope, the belief, the conviction that there is a better life, a better world, beyond the horizon.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
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“Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
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“In fact, hope is best gained after defeat and failure, because then inner strength and toughness is produced.” –  Fritz Knapp
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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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“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
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“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” – Helen Keller
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“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

My Conclusion

 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”-- Matthew 11:28 (KJV)

Each of us can find hope and peace through Christ. That’s the beautiful message of the song in the video below: “Peace in Christ”. The piece is sung by 5-year-old (Yes that’s not a typo) Claire Ryann Crosby and her dad.  

Just a heads up: you’ll want to keep a tissue handy. The singers, the scenery, and the words of the song are beautiful and touching.


Do you still have hope?



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