Hope for Uncertain Times

To hope is human. We seem to be hardwired for hope - even the most pessimistic of us. However deeply buried, there is at least the slightest inkling that things just might get better. Some people brim with a sense of hope. They exude optimism because they are hopeful. Even against the backdrop of the general malaise that seems characteristic of our times, there is something within us that wants to reach forward to better times. We want to believe things will get better, but we are hard-pressed to point to any tangible and clear evidence to support such feelings. The reality check of economic uncertainty, military crises, violent natural disasters, and social and racial upheaval casts a gray shadow over our optimism. Our general hopefulness is a state of mind, rather than a fact of life. Real hope does not leave us pawns in the hands of circumstances, because true hope transcends circumstances. The ability to survive and thrive amidst uncertain times is solidly based on substantive hope, hope that is far more than wishful thinking and starry-eyed optimism. Hope without true substance is little more than a delusional perspective that denies reality. It is important that we set forth a working definition of hope. HOPE IS CONFIDENT EXPECTATION OF SOMETHING BETTER IN THE FUTURE. Hope without a foundation is mere wishful thinking. Real hope, however, is based on specifics. It confidently expects very tangible things in times to come, and visualizes the roadmap to realization. It is so real that we can touch, taste, see, smell, and feel it!