There is nothing in life that is more Christ-like than to be a person who brings hope to others. To give hope to someone in despair is one of life's noblest deeds. Being a "hope bearer" is not dependent on wealth, intelligence, or background. It is all about heart.
Strangely enough, we who have come close to losing our own sense of hope can be of great help to others who are watching theirs fade into oblivion. All I usually have to do when I write a message of hope is to sit back and recall my past. What was it that someone said or did for me when my hope was at stake and I felt it silently slipping away? Who or what revived my dying spirit and gently renewed my passion for life again?
From personal experience I can testify that often hope is renewed by a friend's simple spoken word, gentle hugs or caring touches, or most of all, from one insightful line written in a note that reaches beyond our pain and brings up a wonderful surge of optimistic expectation from within us.
Keep in mind that when people believe, think, or feel that all hope has finally vanished, surrender is lurking nearby. They see absolutely no logical reason on earth to get out of bed in the mornings and must spend the days reminding themselves to breathe in and breathe out.
However, since we have been called by God to witness His goodness to the world, surrender is not an option. And a few kind actions or words from us can sustain and encourage the soul until real hope returns to the heart, making it strong enough to beat on its own again.
In my life, I've been handed many seemingly fatal blows to my spirit. But my experiences have also taught me that life is lived in cycles and God works in seasons. God works to remind us that just as Winter appears in everyone's life, His grace and mercy will eventually allow us to bask in another Spring.
May we all be "hope bearers" for there is not greater calling. After all, God really is good...all the time!
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"we are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed." ( 2 Corinthians 4:8-9)
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