Five years ago was the worst year of my life. Now I find myself weeping with joy and gratitude for all the restoration, healing and good in my life.

I am amazed.

Five years ago I hoped against hope. That means when you see no reason for hope—you hope anyway. Hope carried me into a new day. It can do it for you too.

I didn’t use to have much regard for hope until it was all I had. That’s when I learned what hope can do and how important it is.

There are five things that hope does.

Hope is something we can feel but hope is also a choice we can make when our feelings aren’t being cooperative. Things happen in our lives that pull the rug out from under us and take our breath away. These things will tell us there is no hope. I’ve been there. But…

…I’ve learned that as long as I have breath, hope is available.

No matter how dark the moment, love and hope are always possible. George Chakiris

What good is it to hope? What does hope do?

HOPE LIVES

Hope lives in the place where grief, sorrow, disappointment or devastation bring the sentence of death. Every time life cuts us down to size we have the choice of how to respond. In the midst of traumatic things, it might feel small. But it’s there. Hope powerfully wills to arise and live.

HOPE LOOKS AHEAD

Hopelessness looks around at the negative things that are going on now, and back at what has happened. Hope doesn’t want to stay in the negative. Hope wants change and if change is to occur, that change is in front of us. Hope looks ahead until it sees.

Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness. Desmond Tutu

HOPE REACHES

Hope reaches for what it sees ahead. The resolution, solution, response, or answer that will bring the change desired and/or needed. Hope takes action.

HOPE ENCOURAGES

When negative emotions want to suck you down into the abyss of depression, apathy, or hopelessness hope says no, don’t give up, there has to be a pony in this pile of manure. Hope helps us choose to grab ahold of the life it offers no matter how long it will take.

Hope is patience with the lamp lit. Tertullian

HOPE BUILDS

This is the aspect of hope I didn’t like until hope was all I had and I understood. Building takes time and when you’re in pain you want change right this second, not next week, next month or next year. But if we don’t let hope build what’s needed for change—change will never come. I finally saw that five years ago and I was unwilling for change to not come.

HOW HOPE WORKS

Hope is a spiritual tool that builds faith.

Faith knows things. Hope doesn’t know them—yet. Hope knows they are possible. That’s where I struggled. I didn’t want to wait. I wanted things different right now but hope isn’t now. Hope is later. Only faith is now.

This now and later thing is what’s hard for us. We don’t want to wait.

When you want something to be different, hope is always available.

But hope is not faith. That’s a hard pill to swallow.

When hope is all you have it’s easier to be patient. I’ve lamented at having hope but no faith. I felt shame. Shame is never good but hope is always good.

IT PAYS TO HOPE

Today I’m enjoying the results of the cooperation of hope and faith in my life. It feels miraculous.

Five years ago I felt like the pain in my soul could kill me. But because of hope, faith grew and today I marvel. I’m overcome with awe at what God has done.

Hope gave me a blueprint for restoration and I’ve watched it unfold exceeding abundantly above all I could ask or imagine.

Some of the losses are completely restored. Some of the losses were unable to be restored – permanently gone.

Yet new life has emerged like a butterfly on a tombstone.

During my process I caught myself praying for God to work as fast as possible but as slow as necessary. That concept was new to me and painful to hear come out of my own mouth. I wanted restoration and healing NOW. But I trusted and put my hope in God. He has not failed. He truly works all things together for good. Even the awful.

It’s been a long road. It hasn’t been easy. But it has been worth it.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. – Romans 15:13

WHAT NOW

• How has life sucker punched you?
• What do you think about hope?
• Watch this video by Danny Gokey who lost his first wife suddenly just a month before he auditioned for American Idol.

Danielle Bernock

Author, Coach, and Speaker helping men, women, and organizations EMERGE with clear vision of their value, TAKE ownership of their choices, and CHART a path to their promise, becoming Victorious Souls who Embrace The Change from survive to thrive through the power of the love of God

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