Dare to Hope

I, like so many others, seem to constantly wait for the other shoe to drop, the bad news to be reported and the worst to happen. It is like we are always living in a state of fear or unrest, that we are too scared to let ourselves hope or believe that love and goodness can actually best evil and hatred. Recently, I have watched as people hurt those they love, how fear and hatred have dominated political rhetoric (throughout the world), how people have become nothing more than numbers, stereotypes or groups. It is hard when we are bombarded, constantly, by bad news on TV, social media, newspapers and even in our own personal lives. The other day I really sat and thought about it, how is it that hope still exists?Sometimes, more often than I would like to admit, I believe that we all have reason to lose hope. It has become increasingly clear that a dark cloud seems to be getting closer to consuming the world and thrusting us into an all out hopeless world. And yet, despite that advancing darkness, the light still remains--maybe it is a bit dim, but it is still there.For me, in order to not lose all hope, I have to remind myself to look for the good. As an American treasure, Fred Rogers said:"When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. you will always find people who are helping.'"Just as we must look for the helpers we must always look for the good. Maybe it is something small and seemingly meaningless, but if we start counting all of the good things we experience, witness or even do those things will build up and help brighten the light. The light is still there, even if it seems to have dimmed, as long as there is even just one person who still believes in the light I truly believe that the darkness will never win.Today I am writing this post in a crowded airport in Fort Lauderdale.  I am waiting to board another flight and head to Philadelphia to celebrate the love of two beautiful human beings. This is something that is so good, something that adds a bit more love into this world and a heck of a lot more light. Celebrating the love of two people at their wedding and being given the opportunity to share my love with them is a beautiful blessing. But if I let myself buy into the lie that the darkness offers then I would miss the blessing. We always have a choice: see the blessing, accept it and be a part of it or buy into the lie, ignore the blessing and reject it.There are still so many reasons to have hope. I believe with all of my heart that love, pure, unfiltered love will eventually vanquish the darkness for good. I, like everyone else, have the choice to choose to hope, to love and to have faith or to choose to buy into that lie. I choose to hope, to love with all of my heart and to have faith.1 Corinthians 13:13"And now faith, hope and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love."It is the season of Advent, the season in which we wait and prepare our hearts for Christ's arrival. This is meant to be a season of hope, peace, joy and love but for too many it is not. We are nearly crushed with the weight of stress, work, heartbreak, hopelessness and fear. Look for the good--even if it is just seeing the sun (after living in Scotland for a year, you really are truly thankful to see the sun).Hope has always been something I struggle with. I guess it is the Negative Nancy side of me that is always concerned with the reality of things and that reality always tends to be darkened with negativity. There is a phrase that we often use: "Expect the worst and hope for the best." However, it tends to end up being shortened to: "Expect the worst." Isn't it heartbreaking that so many of us, including myself, have lost the ability to hope? I remember my final year of undergrad sitting in my Virtue and Vice class and admitting to my professor and classmates that I have a really hard time hoping for things. I can still see my professor looking at me and saying: "My daughter asked for a time machine and all the sick people in the world to be cured for Christmas. If she can hope for that and believe that it can happen then we can have hope. Have faith like a child." I guess my struggle to hope comes from my human desire to control things--the lesson I have "learned" countless times is that when I control things, it will always go wrong. The key to hope, at least for me, is to have faith like a child. To believe that God has control and that no matter what it may look like--beautiful things are about to happen.For the first time in my life I am learning how to hope, I have been feeling the warm glow in my heart as it grows and learns to walk this new path. I am growing into hope, but I can already sense something beautiful is about to happen and I am noticing beautiful things all around me.I am learning it is only with a grateful heart and open hands that I am truly able to grow into hope. Today, I am so grateful to be on my way to celebrate the love of two fantastic people and to spend time with those I love.In this season of advent lets grow into hope together--for I have touched the living vein of love and I can assure you there is so much to be thankful for, so much to be hopeful for and so much love for every single one of us.My beautiful brothers and sisters, may the Peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.MAY PEACE, JOY, HOPE, BLESSINGS, and SO MUCH LOVE follow you today and always.Much love,Margaret