Journey into Hope As we journey into the meaning of hope,
We're going to contemplate using our minds,
Then hearts,
To consider how vital hope is.
Victor Frankl,
A psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor,
Spent his four years in Auschwitz observing that those prisoners who gave up on life,
Who lost all hope for a future,
Were inevitably the first to die.
Hope,
It would seem,
Is a vital component in actually staying alive.
But we all need hope,
So that we don't just endure life but enjoy it.
To be human is to hope.
We spend a lot of time hoping.
Hoping we'll get a seat on a busy commuter train,
Or hoping the sun comes out.
Do you find hope rising within you at the thought of your morning coffee break,
Or catching up with a good friend?
The holiday.
All these things offer sparks of hope in otherwise monotonous routines.
But you might have other more important hopes.
Hope for the much needed job promotion.
The new,
More exciting relationship.
Maybe you place your hope in these bigger things to bring you the fulfilment that you're seeking in life.
Or maybe you place your hope in people,
Like your children's success,
Or the acceptance of your peers.
Or there are some of us who find hope in ideas and ideologies,
In movements like feminism,
Environmentalism,
Liberalism.
Believing that these could save us and our nations.
People hope.
People need to hope.
But what is it you're really hoping for?
Is it just more stuff?
More money?
A better job or status?
Will these things lift you up on the truly grey days?
Lift you out of those black holes that can appear in your soul when the debts tower over you?
When vital relationships crumble?
Or when human suffering overwhelms you?
Do you know a source of hope that renews and strengthens you whatever your circumstances?
A source of ultimate hope beyond you?
As we move to contemplate ultimate hope with our hearts,
Close your eyes if you want and take a couple of deeper breaths.
And imagine a storm at sea.
The skies are dark and you feel alone,
Vulnerable,
In a small boat.
There are waves that threaten you.
And the darkness surrounding you brings uncertainty and fear seems to be your companion.
Take a moment to see if this image brings to mind any part of your life that currently feels hopeless.
But this scene is beginning to change.
The sun is starting to break through.
The clouds are parting.
And there are shafts of light starting to appear on the sea.
And your hope rises.
Light that dispels darkness.
This light is giving you some bearings.
And you also notice the nearness of land.
It was always there though you hadn't been able to see it.
But now in your sights it offers refuge and security.
Fix your eyes on these symbols of hope.
The light of the sun that strengthens and renews your heart.
The solidity of the landform that comforts you.
Giving you hope of a future.
Allow the sense of hope,
Ultimate hope that exists,
To enter your being and flow in and through any places of hopelessness.
And when you're ready,
You can allow the image to recede and open your eyes.
The sun is setting.
The light of the sun that gives you hope.
The light of the sun that gives you hope.
The light of the sun that gives you hope.
The light of the sun that gives you hope.
