In today’s episode we will explore the Transformative Power of Hope. Have you ever experienced times when you go through just one bad thing after another? When it seems like the world is out to get you? When things go wrong no matter what you do? There are always things to be learned from every situation. No matter what bad stuff life throws your way, as long as you cope with it constructively, nothing can get you down. Howard Thurman an eminent Afro-American theologian, author, educator, civil rights leader and philosopher, wrote, "There is something in every one of you that waits and listens for the sound of the genuine in yourself. It is the only true guide you will ever have. And if you cannot hear it, you will all of your life spend your days on the ends of strings that somebody else pulls." In these lines, he captured the essence of what lifts every human being out of bed in the morning, moves us through our days, and enables us to persevere when life gets hard. Hope. We hope we will accomplish something meaningful. We hope someone will love us. We hope our lives will be free from pain. And if they’re not, we hope tomorrow will be a better day. For many, hope is nothing more than a wish. A yearning for something our heart desires. An expectation that we’ll gain the object of our affection. This type of wishful hope rises and falls with the winds of chance and circumstance. It has no solid basis and is usually tied to something or someone temporal. Thousands of years before Howard Thurman penned his famous lines, another writer described a different source of hope—a constant and sure One. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him,” the apostle Paul wrote, “so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 15:13 NIV). Maya Angelou was a renowned poet, author, and activist who dedicated her life to fighting for civil rights and equality. Born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1928, Angelou experienced firsthand the racial segregation and discrimination that was prevalent in the United States during this time. Despite facing numerous challenges and setbacks, Angelou persevered and used her voice and platform to speak out against injustice and advocate for marginalized communities. Ms. Angelou truly embodied a tenacious spirit. One that wasn't simply built on seeing the positive side of things. Ms. Angelou was driven by fierce hope. It was a hope born in certainty, and guaranteed by God himself. Likewise, she exuded Christian hope. Hope that expresses knowledge that every day of our lives, and every moment beyond it, the believers can say with truth, on the basis of God’s own commitment, that the best is yet to come. The concept of hope is biblical. The word appears 158 times in the New International Version of the Bible. These verses describe three sources of sure and certain hope: God’s character, God’s work, and God’s Word. “No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame” (Psalm 25:3). “For what you have done I will always praise you in the presence of your faithful people. And I will hope in your name, for your name is good” (Psalm 52:9). “You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word” (Psalm 119:114). Every day we have a choice where to look for hope in created things or in our Creator. I pray that you will find tucked into the verbiage of this episode joy and peace” and that you will “overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
