{"id":1770,"date":"2024-06-29T21:41:04","date_gmt":"2024-06-30T01:41:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/positivepensees\/?p=1770"},"modified":"2024-07-03T09:56:03","modified_gmt":"2024-07-03T13:56:03","slug":"how-do-we-find-hope-when-the-world-is-screaming-around-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/positivepensees\/2024\/06\/how-do-we-find-hope-when-the-world-is-screaming-around-us\/","title":{"rendered":"How Do We Find Hope When The World Is Screaming Around Us?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

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Image Courtesy of Canva Pro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cHope is a whisper in a world that shouts. But listen for it.\u00a0 Listen for it. Listen for it.\u201d<\/span><\/h2>\n

Liz Newman<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n This week in the US we all just held our breath. The presidential debates happened. It was a train wreck, and we all just watched that train chug a long right into that wall. I am not going to make my political preferences known, as a military mom, I keep those very private beliefs largely within the sphere to those who know me to protect my kids that serve. I don\u2019t know about you all, but I couldn\u2019t watch the whole thing. I must admit, the whole debate stole a little of my hope. But then I remembered, as believers our hope is in God, not men.<\/a> As I was scrolling through the news catching the highlights of the debate, I came across a reel comparing the debate in 2012 between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. They shook hands, they politely greeted one another and tried to remain civil. Fast forward to the last several years. People are yelling, hurling insults and generally being terrible to one another. It causes you to have a massive eye roll.<\/p>\n

Hope Springs Eternal<\/h3>\n In 1734 Alexander Pope<\/a> wrote \u201cAn Essay on Man.\u201d In that writing he coined the phrase, \u201cHope springs eternal in the human breast; Man never is, but always to be blest.\u201d What does that mean? It means that even when the situation looks bleak, there is always hope and faith within us to find that well spring of hope. You may have to do a little digging. There may be times you will have to search keenly. But there is hope to be found. Right now in the south the dog days of summer are here. Stepping outside is like stepping into a hot box. Some folks like it. I am not a huge fan. I always appreciate the summer mornings but I look forward to the next glorious season. The gorgeous colorful days of fall. This brought to mind life and its seasons. Much like Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer, the life seasons change.<\/p>\n <\/a> Image Courtesy of Canva Pro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThere are several stories in the Bible that garner hope<\/h3>\n \ Yesterday I read a meme that read: You are not in your worst season. One season David was a shepherd. The next season he was a king! One season Ruth was working in a field. The next season she owned that field. One season Mordecai was sitting outside the king\u2019s palace. The next season he was inside the palace. We serve a God who turns things around for good.<\/p>\n David<\/a> was not born into royalty. He was a humble shepherd.<\/h3>\n Can you imagine being a shepherd in a field knowing that this would be your life? To some that might just be heavenly. To others they might think, \u201cIs this it?\u201d In the book of Samuel<\/a> in the Old Testament, Samuel was led by God to Bethlehem. There he found David, a shepherd and a talented musician. He was brought to King Saul\u2019s court to play for him. David\u2019s playing soothed Saul\u2019s fractured spirit. At that time, the Israeli people were involved in a war with the Philistines. Much to their dismay, they encountered the giant Goliath. While everyone cowered in fear, David took on Goliath with a sling and a rock. This act at first garnered much favor for David with the king. After the passing of time, the King became very jealous of David and sought to kill him. With much haste, David fled to enemy territory for his life. As the battles continued on with the Philistines, King Saul and his sons perished in battle. Saul had lost God\u2019s favor. After that, David was anointed King of Israel. If you ever take some time to read Psalms, David pours out his heart to God. He has times where he praises God to the heavens, other times he is in the depths of despair. In all of those writings, he never loses his hope in God through each life season.<\/p>\n <\/a> Image Courtesy of Canva Pro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nRuth<\/a> lost her first husband but gained much more with her faith and devotion<\/h3>\n**** Ruth was a woman who married an Israelite man. She left her home and family to live in Israel. After a time, she lost her husband. Ruth\u2019s mother-in-law Naomi lost her husband and her sons. Ruth could not bear to leave her mother-in-law alone with no one. Ruth coined the phrase, \u201cWhere you go I will go<\/a>, where you stay is where I will stay. Your people will be my people.\u201d That is a testament to faith and loyalty. When they returned to Naomi\u2019s home where they lived humbly. One day Ruth was in a field, gleaning what was left behind after harvest when she caught the eye of the land owner, Boaz. He fell in love with her and they married. It was then that Ruth did indeed own the field. Can you imagine that she had times where she had to search for that nugget of hope? I can. Ruth was the great grandmother of King David. I\u2019d say that is a picture of hope.<\/p>\n Mordecai<\/a> started at the palace gate, but ascended to the palace<\/h3>\n In the time of Mordecai, the Jews were in captivity in Babylon. Mordecai had a cousin named Esther who he raised as his own. He had a job at the palace gate. As you can imagine, the gate was filled with gossip. As Esther grew in age and beauty, she was selected to be the Queen to King Xerxes. One particular day, Mordecai heard of a plot to assassinate the king. When he was in possession of this knowledge, he told Esther, and Esther told the king. Once the king was in possession of this knowledge, the plot was stopped and Mordecai\u2019s name was recorded in the king\u2019s chronicles. Mordecai\u2019s troubles were just beginning after his heroic act. There was another man named Haman who was an official in the king\u2019s court. He hated Mordecai because he would not offer him homage or bow to him. Mordecai\u2019s faith did not allow him to bow to anyone but God. In his blind hatred, Haman made a plot to kill all of the Jews. He poisoned the king\u2019s mind with vile tales of the people and the king did indeed set a date for destruction. Because of this decree, Mordecai told Esther of the evil plot. He implored Esther to visit the king and tell him to save their people. Esther knew that it could be death to visit the king unannounced. In her hesitation these uplifting words were uttered by Mordecai.\u201dWho knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time<\/a> as this?\u201d In other words, perhaps God placed her there to save the Jewish people. Esther, bolstered by Mordecai\u2019s words did see the king and implore him to save her people. After that, Haman was hung on the gallows that he had erected for Mordecai. He was elevated to second in rank after the king. Again, there were times I am sure there were times where they were clinging to what little hope they had.<\/p>\n <\/a> Image Courtesy of Canva Pro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nHow do these stories give us hope<\/a>?<\/h3>\n Image Courtesy of Canva Pro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n How do these stories give us hope? We can know that these stories given to us are human stories. They had times when things were not all coming up roses. Right now, groceries are expensive. Our politicians are yelling at one another. It seems that every voice that can be nasty has a megaphone that is on the loudest sound setting possible. We can find hope. Reach out to your neighbor. Check on your neighbor. Don\u2019t walk through life blindly ignoring the world\u2019s problems by any means. But rather, don\u2019t dwell there. I have a theory, that if you stay in an echo box of hate. You will start to hate. An echo box of no varying ideas? You won\u2019t learn. If you stay in an echo box of one opinion? That will never change your opinion for the better. Stay in a place of challenging your ideas. A place of kindness, gentleness, a place that advocates listening quietly rather than yelling adversely. There will always be those situations where it\u2019s hard to navigate, but you have something on your side. Hope. Faith. Prayer<\/a>. Cling to those tenets. Let them be your dwelling place and hope will indeed, spring eternal. I leave you with the words of Desmond Tutu<\/a>. \u201cHope is being able to see that there is light despite all the darkness.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cHope is a whisper in a world that shouts. But listen for it.\u00a0 Listen for it. Listen for it.\u201d Liz Newman This week in the US we all just held our breath. The presidential debates happened. It was a train wreck, and we all just watched that train chug a long right into that wall. 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