there is always HOPE . . . real HOPE. . .

I have spoken of hope, or the lack thereof, for years now; as if I were well acquainted with and versed on the subject.  It has only been in the last week, after nearly a decade of recovery, I believe that I may know what hope really is.  Or more importantly, what it is not. 

Hope is not a wish. In current vernacular, the words are often interchanged.   For example, I believe the following two statements illustrate well this idea:

"I hope I win the lottery."

"I Wish I would win the lottery."

In my understanding of hope today, this is improper usage of the term.  Stay with me, I will soon explain.

Hope is not faith either, although the two are closely related.  Once again, an explanation is forthcoming. 

Hope is the moment when I realize something that to this point seemed impossible, unachievable, or insurmountable truly is possible, achievable, and attainable.  But beware if I stop listening in that moment, I miss the rest of the message.  HOPE says yes you can, but you must first do something… simply put, HOPE requires action.  All the hope in the world will make no physical or noticeable difference until it is followed with action.

"But it sounds like hope and faith ARE the same!" I hear someone mentally noting.  In my experience, and I stress those words, hope had to be present before faith was possible.  I had to see the impossible done, the unachievable reached and the insurmountable conquered.  Then hope awakened in me.

I was very fortunate, and still am, to have a group of "old timers" who showed me the action my hope required to reach a new place in life.  As I did the action, and witnessed the results, faith sprouted, green and new.  Fragile though it was, with continued action based upon my newfound hope, faith grew.

What do you hope for today? Are you just idly wishing?  Are you hopeless?  I have been all these things and more…  

I promise you, if you look around, there is always hope...real hope.

If you are struggling, it’s okay… help is only a prayer away.

Editorial Note:  The writer of this Blog is my sponsor, Jon N. and I am grateful for his guidance, strength, courage, and support.  He has shown me what love is, what faith is, and what hope is.  I am forever grateful for his friendship.  He is a good man who holds me accountable to my journey and reminds me to stay humble.  A perfect example of this is what he said to me when I was struggling with helping those in recovery and thinking I could save people from themselves and on that day he simply stated “Shane, you are not that important.”  That is humility. 

I am a better man for having Jon in my life.

I love you, Jon.