How to Find Hope

We live in dark times. It’s easy to see the news and feel despair in the face of such darkness. In times like this, we need hope and yet it’s never felt farther away.

In order to find that hope, we must first take a step of faith and choose to fight back against the darkness that oppresses us.

Fighting back may sound naive because the size of what we’re up against. Problems like ISIS, sex trafficking, and social injustice may appear impossible to defeat. These problems only seem too big because we’re thinking in terms of human strength.

With the help of God, we have access to a supernatural strength that can defeat any darkness. Few of us rely on this strength because we don’t experience it very often. We lack that experience because we don’t seek God’s help in fighting the darkness of our daily lives.

Terrorism and social injustice are not the only expressions of darkness in this world. We lose an estimated 40,000 Americans to suicide every year. The rampant loneliness and depression in this world play a major role in those deaths.

We all see loneliness and depression in the faces of those around us and it doesn’t take earth shaking efforts to fight them. Simply reflecting the love we receive from God to those around us can make an incredible difference. You’d be surprised what you can accomplish by simply showing someone that you care about them.

Short and genuine questions like ‘how are things in your life’ or ‘how is your heart’ can lead to subtle but powerful change.

If we get people to open up, we can ask them if they really know deep down that they’re loved. If they say no, we can remind them that God loves them unconditionally and that we care about them as well. Even if they don’t respond to any of our questions, they’ll know that someone cares enough to ask about them.

Reminding people that they’re loved will also play an important part in our personal fight against darkness. Our own loneliness, depression, and broken hearts can also seem impossible to defeat. When we see God working in other’s hearts and witness the wonder of a healed heart, we will get the hope that we desperately need.

The basic problem with expressions of darkness like ISIS and sex trafficking is that we’re unsure that they can be defeated. We feel the same way when it comes to the broken hearts of those around us. You probably don’t feel confident that God can work through you to shine light into those broken hearts.

When you take a step of faith and start a few of those conversations, you’ll see God work and you’ll find that confidence. This confidence in God’s ability to defeat brokenness will form the foundation of our hope in the face of the darkness. That hope will not be in human strength or circumstances either, it will be in a God who sits above all circumstances.

Do you think a confidence in a loving and all-powerful God would help you face the darkness? Do you think you can take that step of faith each day and ask someone how they’re doing?

Image Copyright: Manny Hernandez

by