“Hope Can Be Taught”

So, I learned a bit about hope today from a great speaker. I learned that we can flourish when we have hope. We know that. It makes sense, right?

Hope, as discussed from a secular view, is described as a cognitive process…it is nurtured cognitively. Hopeful thoughts replace ruminations. Rumination, the speaker informed, is at the seat of many mental health issues, and suicidality. It leads to regret, shame, guilt and onto negative emotions, negative behavior, and doubts about a successful future. But, having a goal rooted in hope toward accomplishment versus avoidance can be powerful. Additional comments from the presentation were: “You’ve done this before, you can do it again.” “Our brains are not intuitively wired that way.” The speaker went onto explain that “goals are the cornerstone of hope.” She also said, “Let’s talk about your goal and things you have control over.”

But, from a Chrisitan perspective, hope looks different. It’s turning control over to God, as really, He is the one in control. I put my trust in Him. Psalm 92:12-15 (NIV) states that the righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God.  They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, “The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”

Thus, when we are anchored in Him, we have hope and can flourish by following the Lord, focusing on the Lord, being with our Lord and other believers. I do like what the speaker had to say about her model, especially when working within the mental health field. I do see the utility of it and will use it. But someone asked me once about the work I do…..”how can you share hope if you can’t share about its true source?” Such a great question. Then, a wise colleague turned me to a resource: Katie Bowler podcasts. She is a Stage IV cancer survivor. She stated in an introductory video, “Let’s find hope for a world where everything happens.” Truth. Another wisdom from a guest speaker on her podcast: “We need a community to counterbalance the ways we are broken.” Amen. I will be listening to her podcast and HOPE you will, too, to find hope. See what I did there?

Here’s the link: Podcasts Archive – Kate Bowler