Hope In a Time of Uncertainty
We are living in deeply uncertain times. We are in the throes of a global pandemic. Our priorities, the economy, political disruptions and just the ebb and flow of our daily lives have become overwhelming confusing. Our perceptions of the world will not be what they were last year. Many people are often on edge and living with a constant sense of unease and fear and often tragedy.
Now, more than ever, hope can become an enormous power source. It can move us from feeling besieged to feeling empowered, not only with our individual strength, but also by taking us to the next level, which serves to inspire strength, security and promise in others.
Regardless of what we might tell ourselves, we are always living in uncertain times. Some moments in history allow us to see it more clearly. Change is the only constant in life. We often expend our energy in trying to control everything in life instead of accepting people and situations as they are. This often results in less limited fulfillment and an inability to harness our positive energy. To embrace the uncertainly allows the wisdom that is hidden in the chaos to emerge and help change our priorities. Hope makes us wake up to our lives and the preciousness of it. Our sense of self generally comes from the world around us but right now we are finding another version of whom we really are from within.
The first lesson a disaster often teaches us it that we are all connected and we can extend our hope to others. Kindness is being celebrated more than ever. People are serenading to others across windowsills. Animal shelters are reporting an uptick in foster applications. Volunteers are bringing groceries to neighbors who they have never met and stores are offering special hours for senior shoppers. This is the journey of how hope is working.
The words “emergency” comes from emergence or emerge, as if ejected from the familiar and needing to reorient or reinvent. Nature has a way of using change to survive. Visualizing a better future and creating a compelling concept of a desired outcome is an example of how hope and faith are integrated. It is here that we see the glimmers of optimism that do exist and we find the hope that creates that vision of a better future.
