What Does HOPE Look Like?

January 21, 2011 · Filed under commitment, Heroes, hope, question · Tagged gratitude, hope, randomness, thanksgiving

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things. ~~Philippians 4:8

At the start of 2011, I decided that I would ditch my default new years resolution of losing weight (thought I haven’t ditched the desire…just the “setting it as a news years resolution” part) and chose to commit my year to something greater and a bit more inspiring: gratitude. Of course this commitment could take many forms but, for starters, I am committing to keeping a gratitude journal and writing at least one thank you note every week. Its incredible what that simple commitment has done for my life. Everywhere I go now, I am searching out opportunities to be grateful and, in doing so, have become uniquely aware of the abundance I am blessed by. The universe is constantly surrounding us with love and that simple but powerful commitment to seeing it makes all the difference in our ability to receive it.

In hopes of giving your eyes a similar blessing as mine have received through gratitude, I ask you, “What does HOPE look like?” It is my wish that as your eyes seek out opportunities to address the question, that its answers will flood your life and grant you a predisposition to seeing the the world’s most beautiful offering.

Hope is the dream of a soul awake ~~French Proverb

Here are a few images that symbolize hope for me….

There are few things more inspiring than children praying. What they lack in knowledge, they make up for in wisdom. What would be more wise than trusting the creator of Divine wisdom with your questions?

This is an image of a Habitat for Humanity build.  It is the perfect picture of shared humanity being recognized. A community devoted to sacrificial giving is a community destine for abundance.

What could spread more hope than people who invest their lives in teaching children to discover the world around them and their place within it? If you haven’t thanked a teacher….do it…now! 🙂

Hope is timeless values. This is my family (well a small slice of it). It is amazing that the values of my great grandparents can live for generations beyond their last breath.

Art makes hope tangible. When we can create, we can create ways out and ways up, in our thinking and in our living.

Its a blessing that there are still places on this earth where nature has not been tamed by greed.  Natural silence is one of the most humbling and awe-inspiring sounds. No matter how overwhelming our own world looks, there is always something bigger outside of us waiting to remind us of the smallness of our current thinking and of our worries.

 

OK Your turn….What does hope look like for you?

Please share what epitomizes hope for you in the comment section.