Hi Folks!
Hope.
My high school and college pal, Marriam-Webster, defines HOPE (as a verb) in three ways:
1) To cherish a desire with anticipation: to want something to happen or be true
2) To desire with expectation or obtainment or fulfillment
3) To expect with confidence
Hope. It seems like a really simple word that is used quite often! From get well soon cards to presidential race slogans, hope is a word that we cling to, especially in times like we are experiencing right now. I find myself writing emails and text messages saying, “I hope you are doing well!” or “I hope this message finds you well and healthy.” I hope for people. I hope for my husband. I hope for my pastor. I hope for my best friend, Shelby. I hope for myself. But what are we really hoping for?
Are we hoping for good health? The virus to get a vaccine, so we can go back to our “normal” lives? The cows to finish calving so someone can get some more sleep? The snow to stop flying outside and summer months to get here? I personally am clinging to hope. I am hoping that summer will come, this “situation” will go away, and I can get all the bonfires, BBQs, and social gatherings I can! My hope is honestly, pretty selfish. Now, I am extremely fortunate to have a career and position that I am still getting a paycheck during this time, but I know quite a few people in my community who are not as fortunate. I HOPE that they find a way to make ends meet. I HOPE that they can pay their rent. I HOPE that they can feed their kids. I HOPE that they can get back to work as soon as possible. I want all of those things to be true. I desire for them to get what they need: that would fulfill me. I have confidence that they will make it through this time.
Each of our hopes are so different right now in so many ways. But our “hopes” aren’t what will help us develop our character. No. Hope in the way we are all using it is not going to cut it this time. Although it is great to dream, want, and desire… the hope that we need today doesn’t come from superficial things like summer days, weather, rent, etc. Hope helps us to create and achieve dreams. Hope changes lives. Hope gets through each tough day. Hope starts a flame inside of us to persevere and give 100% effort. This hope stems from deep within us! This hope is what makes us individuals.
What is your GREATEST hope?
My husband, Zeb, truly desires to be a cattle producer. This is his greatest hope! He has worked in the agricultural industry for about 7 years, and has truly dreamed of having his own operation since he was a little boy wearing a cowboy hat at Easter Service. Now, he grew up in town where both of his parents had no access to agriculture. He was a “city” boy in the terms of it in Vona, America. Most of the kids that he interacted with grew up on HUGE farms and ranches that they would eventually inherit. He did and still doesn’t have that opportunity. But that doesn’t keep him from persevering and working hard toward his hope. At the end of every long, hard day, this hope keeps Zeb going. He is excited, joyful even, to wake up at 5AM to go take care of cows. He is full of hope that we will have our own operation in the next few years. He is preparing financially to have that happen. His hope is changing his actions and his future.
Our hope should do exactly what Zeb’s is. It should change our actions for the best. It should shape our path and journey so that we can have this future that we hope for so BIG! Our hopes should help us fulfill our purpose in our families, communities, and this world. Our hope should help propel us into being Good Humans with Good Character.
So… What is your greatest hope? Are you reaching for that hope every day? Are you allowing that hope to change you for the better? Are you going to make a difference in this world with your hope? *I HOPE so!* :) Because we need everyone’s hope. We need hope day to day. We need hope during this time. We need Good Humans with Good Character to act on and tenaciously go after their hope.
And guess what? We have TIME to go after our hope right now! How are you going to use this lull in time to pursue your hope?
We’d love to hear what your greatest hopes are! Comment below, and please share Good Humans with Good Character with your Facebook friends, Zoom meeting colleagues, and family members you miss dearly.
Let’s make a positive difference in the world by being Good Humans with Good Character!
Love!
-Em
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