Give Hope

The story of Jesus Christ is the greatest story ever.

It is a story of humble man, who came from humble beginnings, and rose to great fame at the opposition of the ruling class. It is a story of man who willingly and sacrificially gave his own life so that the lives of his best friends might be spared, despite him having the power to save himself… The ultimate act of love.

Though this story is over 2000 years old, these themes are so timeless that they have been mimicked and retold in every Super Hero Comic, Action Adventure Blockbuster, and Romantic Comedy for the past century. And just like in these stories, the Christ story isn’t about the absolute abolishment of all evil, but more so about the hope Christ gave to the people.

Despite the desperate situations the people may have been facing, Jesus gave them a hope that things would get better. Despite the oppression they may have been suffering under, Jesus gave them a hope that they might one day be free. Despite the mistakes they may have made in their past, Christ gave them a hope that they would be forgiven.

Jesus’ act of Giving Hope, however, is not where the story ends. On the contrary, it’s actually where the story begins… For though Jesus gave hope freely, in order for change to actually happen, this hope must be spread.

But, how?

In our present day society, there are vast reasons to claim we are on a negative trajectory. And yet, some people still have hope: a belief that things will get better. Why? When all the signs are pointing to the negative, how is it that people can believe things will get better? When we know there is evil in our world, how can we be expectant that good will prevail?

Often times, people believe because they witnessed or received some small act of kindness that sparked something inside them to think that if all of us just tried a little harder to help each other out, we could actually make a difference. Sure, evil exists. But people are overwhelmingly good and caring deep down inside. And all they need is a little reminder of hope to spur them into the action of love.

Thus, it should be our mission to Give Hope to the people whom we encounter. Everyday. Everywhere.

How to Give Hope

1. Start each day by being thankful for all the wonderful blessings you have in your life. Don’t worry about your To Do List, until you’ve counted at least 10 Things on your Thankful List. [Do this before you even get out of your bed in the morning.] This will put you in the proper frame of mind to Give Hope.
2. Seek out opportunities to be kind and helpful to others. Small gestures count! Smiling, being patient, letting someone merge in traffic, sending an email / text / tweet of encouragement, volunteering, and last but not least, biting your tongue.
3. Know that your actions count and that though you are only one person and your acts of kindness may be humble, they have the power to spark a forest fire of hope in your community.
4. Share Your Experiences, both good and bad, with your good friends and family. Not to (humble) brag, but to build community, enlist support, and encourage one another.
5. Wash, rinse, and repeat.

Drop me a line in the comments regarding ideas or experiences with how you give (or receive) hope!