Frida remembers the day when she fell asleep in the back seat of her friend’s car. She vaguely remembers hearing a scream and sirens, then 3 days later, waking up in a hospital bed. Their car had been struck by a drunk driver. Only Frida was injured but her injuries were serious. She was left paralyzed from the waist down. It was a devastating trial for a young woman. Since she was a child, Frida had dreamed of only one thing—she wanted to become a fitness instructor and personal trainer. So when the doctor told her she was paralyzed, Frida asked, “What about aerobics? Can I do aerobics?” The physician said no, that would never happen. He even warned her that she might never walk again.
At first, Frida fell into despair, but then she quickly decided to hope for the best possible outcome. “Maybe I can’t do aerobics now,” she told herself, “but I can hope and pray and believe that someday I’ll be able to do what I love again.” It was a tremendous workout for her spirit. The surgeries were successful, but Frida had to learn to walk all over again. It took nearly a year. Frida worked through the intense pain and within 2 months, she was back at the gym for her favorite step class.
“I had a walker and a big back brace, and I couldn’t do any of the exercises yet, but I was the happiest person in the world,” she says. Against all odds, over the following months, Frida recovered. Today, she teaches a variety of fitness classes, including step aerobics. Her ability to tap into the power of hope was instrumental in her recovery. And she’s not alone. Increasingly, hope is being recognized as a vital emotional tool for responding to life’s challenges and tragedies.
The apostle Paul says there are 3 things that act as foundation stones to our lives—faith, hope, and love (1 Cor 13:13). When something tragic enters our life, it’s easy to give in to fear or anxiety. However, people who hold onto hope don’t allow themselves to be ruled by those negative emotions. There will always be things in our life that we can’t control. Pain and suffering come to us at various times and in various ways. But if we dwell on the pain more than the hope, we can block the healing that God wants to give us. “Grief and anxiety cannot remedy a single evil, [but] they can do great harm; cheerfulness and hope, while they brighten the pathway of others, ‘are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh’ (Proverbs 4:22)”—Mind, Character, and Personality, vol. 1, 62.
3 Ways to Tap into Hope
COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS
Michael Gill was a senior executive at a major New York City advertising firm when he was fired at the age of 63. After searching for a job for months, he finally accepted an entry-level position at Starbucks. During his hard days, Gill started keeping a gratitude list.
Every day he looked for blessings that gave him “unexpected joy” such as:
- Making a bathroom sparkle like a new car.
- A song he heard that made him want to sing along.
- The warm sun of an early April day that caught him by surprise.
- The deep joy of spending time with his children—simple lunches in the city or walks in the country.
Every day, count your blessings. As you do, you will be creating space for hope to grow and flourish.
HELP SOMEONE ELSE
This may sound tough when you’re really hurting. But hope emerges and grows deeper when you reach out to help others. If you light the way for another person, you’re also brightening your own path. Mother Teresa once said, “I have found the paradox that if I love until it hurts, then there is no hurt, but only more love.” Try to think, “When I help someone else, I’m passing on the gift of hope.” And by giving, you will also receive.
ASK YOURSELF, “WHAT GOOD CAN COME FROM THIS?”
No matter what you’re facing, try to see the opportunity in the obstacle. When life gets difficult or discouraging, ask yourself, “What positive things can come out of this experience?” You may be surprised what beauty can arise from even the darkest hours. I know in my own life journey, when I was overcome with grief and depression, I developed a much closer walk with Jesus than at any other time. I also discovered the strength that rises out of adversity and a renewed faith through His promises.
Christ assures us we won’t be on our own when we’re going through dark days. For He says, “In all their affliction, He was afflicted…In His love and in His pity, He redeemed them, and He bore them and carried them all the days of old” (Isaiah 63:9). In every trial, Jesus is with us. And even though we may not see or feel Him, He may actually be carrying us in His arms.
It’s in Him that we find peace and hope. Knowing the One who is bigger than our problems will give us hope to believe, hope to trust, and hope to hold onto the One who loves us best.
