Why Is Hope So Important?

To have hope is to want an outcome that makes your life better in some way. It not only can help make a tough present situation more bearable but also eventually improve our lives because envisioning a better future motivates us to take the steps to make it happen.

I don’t know about you but I find myself saying “I’ll be glad when this is over.” whether it a bad day, or trial in my life. I have hope it will be better when it’s over.

Whether we think about it or not, hope is a part of everyone’s life. Everyone hopes for something. It’s an inherent part of being human. Hope helps define what we want in our future and is part of the self-narrative about the lives we all have running inside our minds.

So, What Is Hope Exactly?

The definition of hope can differ depending on the person doing the talking. When people speak about hope in a spiritual context, it might mean believing good things will happen with faith in a higher power. They might direct their hopes outward in prayer.

For others, it might mean always looking on the bright side and seeing challenges as opportunities. In other words, always “hoping for the best.”

Webster’s diction makes “hope” seem close to “wish” or “to cherish a desire with anticipation: to want something to happen to be true.”

Whatever the details, hope in general means a desire for things to change for the better, and to want that better, and to want the better situation very much.

Hope Is Not Optimism

Hope is not the same as optimism. An optimistic generally are more hopeful than others. On the other hand, the most pessimistic person you’ve ever met can be hopeful about something. Hope is very specific and focused, usually on just one issue.

Such as “I hope I get that job I interviewed for” or “I hope he/she calls me.” Or, for a little kid during Christmas, “I hope I get the bike I wanted.”

Why Hope Is So Vital

Most people associate hope with a dire situation. People hope to get out of difficult circumstances. That is often when people do find themselves hoping fervently. But, hope can also provide the key to making every day better.

That’s because just envisioning something hopeful-thr child seeing themself riding they’re new bike for example -gives them a moment of happiness.

According to Psychology Today, it can make present difficulties much easier to bear.

For example Children who grew up in poverty but had success later in life all had one thing in common-hope. Hope involves “planning and motivation and determination” to get what one hopes for.

The Deeper Meaning

In a way, having hope links your past and present to the future. Say you have a vision for what you hope will happen. Whether it does not, just envisioning it can make you feel better. And if it’s something you can somewhat control- like the kids working to get out of poverty-then hope can motivate you to take whatever steps you need to take.

For example: my Grandfather worked in the coal mines all his life, and my father started working in the coal mine at age 12. At age 17 he joined the Military and retired from there, he came home then began working as a painter. To provide for his family, yes we were poor but not as poor as my grandparents were. Today I am not as poor as I was growing up. It is the hope of being better off that motivates us.

The author Dr. Neel Burton who writes about emotions, writes that he always asks patients for what they hope for, because is they say “nothing” then that is a sign of depression or worse.

Having hope is important to the very act of being human. Hope is a match in a dark tunnel, a moment of light, just enough to reveal the path ahead and ultimately the way out.

Always Do What’s Best For You

Some people think that you are selfish when you do what’s best for you. People seem to think that doing what’s best for you makes you a bad person because it hurts others, but what about the people who are hurting you? Should you just let continue to hurt you and and stat in a situation that you don’t want to be in so that you don’t hurt them? The answer is no, you shouldn’t.

I’m not telling you that you should jump overboard as soon as things start getting bad. That’s not what I’m saying at all. Don’t jump overboard until the ship in sinking because there’s still hope that things will be fixed and it will float again. But there comes a point where you have to go overboard, or go down with the ship.

If things get to the point where you are worried about yourself and how the situation is hurting you, then do what is best and extract yourself from it. Whether it leaving one place for another, ending a toxic relationship, or following your dreams and leaving behind those who don’t believe in you, do what’s best for you if you feel that it is necessary.

Ultimately it your life, no one else’s. You are the one that has to live with your choices. You are the one that matters most in your life. I know that may seem selfish, but that’s just the truth of it. If you aren’t happy in the place you are in your life, do something about it. Do what’s best for you.

I know it isn’t easy. Sometimes doing what is best for you, what is right for you, can be the hardest thing in your entire life. But it’s worth it. Your happiness is worth it.

The point of life is to be happy and content. So work towards that. Don’t stay in unhealthy environments because that isn’t making you happy. You aren’t content in those environments, so don’t punish yourself by staying there.

People are going to say that you are selfish, and you know what? Let them. They don’t know how you feel. They can’t understand who you are doing what they your doing, but that shouldn’t stop you. You are the most important thing in your life because it’s your life, not someone else’s.

I used to think that taking care of myself, worrying about myself, and doing what was best for me, was selfish. But someone once told me that looking out for your well-being wasn’t selfish; it’s human. And he was right.

I needed to take care of myself a tad bit more instead of always putting everyone before me. I needed to worry about myself instead of what everyone else thought about what I was doing. And most of all, I needed to do what’s best for me, no matter how hard it was, or how selfish people were going to think I was.

So Be Human

Be human and take care of yourself and make sure you are OK.

Be human and worry about yourself before everyone else once in a while.

Be human and do what is best for you because it isn’t selfish.

It’s human

How To End Your Double-Mindedness

Have you ever found yourself wanting one thing but doing something totally opposite?

Like maybe after spending an hour at the gym, then you decide to eat a bowl of ice cream. Chances are, you’ll never reach your goal on the bathroom scale that way. Or you want to get married, but you want to keep being selfish. You want to make impulsive purchases when shopping and you have no financial growth security. Or you’re not ready to stop sinning, but you want a growing relationship with God. Stop! It doesn’t work that way. These things cannot co-exist, and it’s double-mindedness to want them.

Notice Three Things The Bible Says About Double–Mindedness:

First double-Minded people are everywhere. There is double-mindedness in all of us. There are competing things we want that we try to make it go together. And we have to think differently about this.

If I really want this, I’m not going to have that. I have to get off the fence and stop with the in-between. No more half-measures. I have to settle this. What do I really want?

Second, double-mindedness creates instability. Are the kids wondering which mom is coming home today? Is he extended family worried about how that uncle is going to act at the next family gathering? Are all the employees on edge anticipating what the office will be like when the boss arrives?

Or maybe it’s you. Your unstable, and you know it. The people around you sure know it. You’re unpredictable. You might try to hide it in public, but people close to you see it and they never know what to expect from you. The Botton line is that you want two things that can’t co-exist, and it make you unstable.

Third, double-mindedness affects everything. The guys who is double-minded about his marriage? It’s affecting his career. The woman who’s double-Minded about her finances? It’s affecting her parenting.

You might protest, “I make some bad financial decisions, but I would never do anything to hurt my family!” Well, you actually are. Double-mindedness affects everything.

In the past I drank a lot of alcohol, thinking it would help me relax from my stressful life. But it all actuality it made it worse, I let in affect my marriage, my parenting, and I never had any money. It affected my life in every aspect.

Ending double-mindedness isn’t easy, but it’s pretty simple. You have to want to think differently. And you have to take action that reinforces your desire.

“A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” – James 1:8

“Be doers of the word, and not hearing only, deceiving yourselves.” – James 1:22

Unforgiveness Clogs Your Blessing Pipe

There was a time I couldn’t/wouldn’t forgive anyone for anything they had done to me.

Then I learned the forgiveness is how God deals with mankind. He is not a grudge-holder, but a forgiving Father. Since we are His children, we should and can also be a forgiven. It’s for our ultimate benefit. Harboring Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. In reality we are killing ourselves slowly. It’s not hurting the one you’re holding a grudge against, it’s hurting you.

Unforgiveness is going against God’s principles. If we don’t choose to deal with people in the same manner God does (by forgiving), then we are disobeying His many admonitions to forgive outside His realm, so we can expect the result of that our lives. We can’t go against His nature (by harboring Unforgiveness) and expect His blessings to flow.

In other words, if we harbor Unforgiveness, we’re “clogging the blessing pipe.” All of Gods blessings belong to and are always flowing to us in Christ Jesus, (Ephesians 1:3) and He always loves us. (Jeremiah 31:3)

When we disobey His command to forgive, that clogs the pipe.

There is something standing between us and His blessings, and that thing is Unforgiveness. Unforgiveness puts us outside God’s promises.

One the other hand, when we do choose to forgive , we’re right there in His bailiwick. I know bailiwick is a funny word, but Webster’s dictionary defines it as “a special domain” or “a jurisdiction.” When we choose forgiveness, we’re right there with God and His domain, we’re in His jurisdiction, which means all that He is and all they He’s promised is available to us.

You could say He lives in “forgiveness land” where forgiveness is the way of life.

If we choose to keep Unforgiveness, then we’re out of His jurisdiction, out of the reach of His blessings and protection. I have been there and I don’t want to be there anymore. Do You?

I’m glad to live in God’s domain and receive His blessings. I’ve discovered that one of the req for living there is that I must also forgive, as He does. Ephesians 4:32 says it is the way; “Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you.

I don’t want to live in “grudge-holding land” because God is not there.

I choose forgiveness.

Matthew 7:1-3 “Judge not, lest you be judged.”

Be A Victor Not A Victim

In recent years many people around the world have become proficient in the art of being oppressed. There is conflict between choosing the victim or Victor mindset in how one chooses to live.

“Your attitude determines your altitude.” The victim hood narrative is one that draws quick assumptions and assume the worst. This mentality leaves little room for growing beyond the challenges we all face, and places the responsibility to face the world onto others.

Victor mentality believes that you are in control of your life and welcomes challenges, knowing they can overcome with hard work. Seeing yourself as a Victor in life leads to confidence and success. A victim complains that life is unfair whereas a Victor acknowledges life is unfair to everyone.

When comparing the Victor to victim mindset is like using a rope to reach the top. The Victor narrative sees that how high you get up the ladder would be the result of one’s own effort, while the victim allows the challenges they face to keep them down and others to pull them up. America is a very privileged country and with hard work there’s no reason the top cannot be reached.

Some other ways to stop the victim hood narrative is to avoid identity politics. Identity politics seeks to exploit and allow people to blame others for the failures in their lives. I don’t need to hear from anyone where I’m oppressed or not. I believe we have all the resources we need to succeed.

In society today, I urge all to choose a Victor mindset. In seeking this mindset, I find it vita, to be realistic and prepared to do what it takes to become successful.

I have a few individuals in my life, who complain they their isn’t any employment opportunities for them. I true of the matter it there are a lot of employment opportunities, they just refuse to work.

A victim gets themselves tied up in knots and allows this to affect their efforts. Victors prepare their mind every day to do what needs to be done to reach their eventual goal. Ultimately this all comes down to choosing one mindset of looking at life over the other.

I lived with a victim hood mentality for years.

All people face some sort of oppression that can be a setback in their lives.

What separates those who rise to the top is all about mindset. Everyone needs help from time to time and that is what make America great. The help is there for those who need it, but to take that help and use it to be successful on their own. Don’t take advantage of the help you for doing nothing.

The victim mentality is being challenged in many ways. Let winning become a culture in your life. Wake up everyday deciding to work hard and not let others control your destiny. Do everything you can to be the best version of yourself and you will see victorious or that amounts to greatness in your life.

If you are unhappy with your life seek to change it. Choose to change your mindset and stray from victimhood and you will be a Victor in this life who stands strong on your own two feet.

Stand Firm To The End

I feel that we are living Matthew 24 today.

“But the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” -Matthew24:13

How many of you have ever thought about what the end of the world will be like? Some of you may have lived through the panic of the year 2000, when it was thought that the world would descend into total chaos as the computers would revert back to the year 1900. Or would world war three start and we would all annihilated ourselves with nuclear weapons? Could a mentor come to hit the earth, or would the sun explode billions of years later and engulf our world? Perhaps these don’t scare any of you and you know as the Bible says, that the end of the world will come when Jesus comes again. So now the question might be, are you ready for Him to come again? To be honest, I used to be unsure about this. Now I no longer doubt. When my faith was small, I realized that this is good news. I am growing everyday in the assurance of the truth more each day. In the passage of Matthew 24, the disciples has the same question about the end of the age, but Jesus makes it very clear the way of salvation. I pray that you may grow in faith, in hope, and in assurance of your salvation when Jesus comes again.

Look at verse 1 of Matthew 24, ‘ Jesus left the temple and was walking away when His disciples came up to Him to call His attention to its buildings.” The time was 2 days before Jesus would be crucified. Earlier in the day Jesus was in conflict with the religious leaders and the teachers of the law. He denounced them for their hypocrisy and indicated them for the murder of God’s prophet and messenger, but in the very same breath He held out His hands, longing to forgive them and take them to Himself, but there were not willing. Without the forgiveness of God, only judgement will remain. He warned them with the truth, “Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” (Matthew 23:38-39) After He had said this Jesus and His disciples left the temple to go back to Bethany, about 1.5 miles away, where they were staying before the Passover festival. The disciples must have pondered Jesus’s last words in the temple. The temple desolate? We will not see Jesus again? As they we leaving the temple the disciples said, “Look Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!” (Mark 13:1) The must of thought, how can something so big, so beautiful become desolate? In Jesus’s time, the temple was still under construction, but King Herod made it a very ambitious building project. The eastern side of it adorned in gold, so the sun shone on it for miles away. The walls were made of white marble, so up close it looked like a sea, and from far away it looked liked pure snow.

Jesus responds to them, Do you see all these things? He asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another, every one will be thrown down.” (Verse 2) The disciples must have been deeper in thought now, as they made their way out of Jerusalem. By verse 3, as Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives the disciples came to Him privately. “Tell us, ‘they said, when will all this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age?” Mark tells us that is was Peter, James, John and Andrew who came to Him privately. Now look at their question. They connected the come of Christ with the end of the age. They had some idea that Jesus was the messiah who would come and establish God’s kingdom here on earth. They wanted to know when, and what would be the sign of that time. Their understanding of the kingdom of God was not perfect, however. They may have thought that the kingdom would have appeared right away, (Luke 19:11) and that Jesus would somehow disappear and reappear as the undisputed Messiah, but they really are not. He tells them in verse 6, “ You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come,” Jesus says, “see to it that you are not alarmed.” I think there can be some degree of fear when you hear about war. Jesus will even tell His disciples to flee when appropriate. What Jesus means here is “don’t panic,” Don’t lose you mind, and don’t become hopeless when you hear of wars and famines and earth wakes. I might seem like the end of the word, but it’s not. Jesus says such things must happen, but the end is still to come. They happen because of sin and the curse of sin. Because of sin, nations are at war. Because of the curse, the earth groans. But Jesus said these are birth pains. As we know with the birth of a child, the frequency of contractions increase and so does the pain, until the child is born. Likewise, we will see increase in the intensity and frequency of wars, famines and natural disasters right before God’s kingdom comes. In Christ, this should not cause us to panic but even be a little bit hopeful.

Jesus turns up the heat in verse 9, “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. This just got really serious. Not only might your country be at war, but you personally will be persecuted, hated, and put to death because of Jesus. Persecution will cause many to fall away from their faith and betray one another. People will renounce their belief in Jesus in order to survive, and may even report on their fellow brothers or sisters. On top of that, many false prophets will appear and deceive people. They will try to lead people away from their faith, and instead lead people to themselves. We see in our time false prophets. There was a man who claimed to be Jesus would come again. Many people will sell their homes, some will lose the life savings because they will believe that man.

“Because of the increase of wickedness, the love will grow cold.” This is a sad reality, and we also see this in our society today. People love their comforts and their pleasures. They care more about themselves that they will not help someone in trouble. When we see a man who is beaten, unconscious, that falls on the street and robbed and people pass by and no one will be bothered to help, or even move him off the street. We see this in our own cities, in how killings have increased. I was watching the news the other day and there was a beheading in our streets and people do not even feel guilty or any remorse.

Why do you think God has allowed wickedness to increase, and false prophets to arise? Why has God allowed persecution, war, and famines ? Part of it is to show the utter sinfulness of sin, and to show why these things must come to an end. It is to show that God’s wrath upon this sinful world is just. But what else is all the suffering for? How can Jesus tell His followers not to be alarmed at the threat of war! How could he tell the not to fall away in persecution or death? What is the believer’s source of strength? How can a believer not panic in uncertain times or fall away because of danger or temptation? It is faith. Suffering always refines and purifies faith. Why would God lead His church through such dark times? It is to test and show their faith, which is like pure gold. It is often the hard times that we draw closer to God, and help us to depend on Him more. Difficult times, more often than easy times, strengthens our faith. And that is what will save us in the end of the age: faith, faith in Jesus Christ.

Jesus tells us in verse 13, “but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” The person who has faith in Jesus to the end, even in war, or famine, or earth wakes, or persecution, or even death will be saved.

Jesus wants to give everyone in the world an opportunity to know Him, and then trust and believe in Him.