4 Ways to Reach Out and Give a Little Hope
Photo by Alexei Scutari on Unsplash
Who couldn’t use a bit of hope these days? I sure could.
Life is hard, and sometimes we feel like we are hanging by a thread—a thread of hope.
Or, perhaps we look at others around us—our spouse, our kids, our friends, our colleagues—and see a lot of depression, disappointment, discouragement, and hopelessness.
Yep, there’s that word again: hope.
What Exactly is Hope?
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, hope as a noun is defined as “a desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment.”
As a verb, we could use the word hope interchangeably with “trust” or define it as, “to cherish a desire with anticipation: to want something to happen or be true.”
Different Seasons
There are seasons in life when we feel hopeful, full of expectation and anticipation of what is to come. Our faith and belief that the things or situations we desire will happen are abundant, and we have little doubt or concern of failure.
For example, lately, I have enjoyed watching one of my sons prepare for his upcoming wedding this summer. It’s fun to watch him and his fiancée send out invitations, prepare the ceremony, select dinner items and music, and look for a shared apartment near their university.
They are full of hope. It is a hopeful season.
On the other hand, there are times in life when we, ourselves, or those around us are hopeless—lacking expectation and anticipation of good things ahead. We lack faith and believe that there are only dark days and doom around the corner. The negativity bias in our brain takes over. Nothing seems to be going well. We are down and discouraged, and there seems to be no light on the horizon.
We need hope.
A Month of Hope
Did you know that April was designated as the National Month of Hope?
In 2018, the National Month of Hope was declared by a non-profit, social services organization called Mothers in Crisis. Mothers in of Crisis originally launched a campaign to share stories of hope to help families torn apart by addiction. Their campaign became so powerful that it evolved into a national movement and eventually into the National Month of Hope. It is a reminder of “celebrating the power of hope—the belief that things will work out, especially when it seems otherwise.”
Extending a Thread of Hope
Whether you are in a time of abundant hope, like a bright-colored ball of yarn, or whether you are only holding a thread of hope, perhaps there is someone around you who could use some.
Mothers in Crisis adopted the acronym HOPEE—Helping Others Practice Enduring Empowerment.
Impact Community Action has some suggestions of areas of hope to consider.
1. Hope for Self:
“To do good in the world, you need to be your best self. It’s hard to provide hope for others if you aren’t feeling it yourself.”
What are some things that bring you hope? Think about or do those things as often as you can. For example, reconnecting with old friends in-person or online, writing a list of things that bring you hope, planning for the new year ahead, etc. Even if you don’t feel it at first, you may feel a twinge of encouragement awaken inside of you as you begin to look toward and anticipate the future.
2. Hope for Your Family and Friends:
Check in with your close family and friends and see how they are doing. Look for ways that some struggling individuals may need a bit of encouragement or hope on their hard and painful journey. Perhaps you could offer the gift of listening to a friend who needs to tell and process their story. One way you could help is to share some of your own personal stories of how you have come out on the other side of difficult situations where you felt hopeless.
3. Hope For/Within the Community:
Get out into your neighborhood and community and find out what is going on and what the needs are. Don’t be afraid to call local organizations and ask. They are usually eager to share needs and give practical advice about how you can get involved. See what gifts and skills you have that might be a good match. Volunteer and see how you can make a difference right where you live. Check out local hospitals, schools, etc.
It’s amazing how helping others can bring you hope!
4. Hope For/Within the World:
Look for larger, more global initiatives and see how you can play a part in helping. Start a fundraiser or donate to an international cause like world hunger or the global campaign to stop human trafficking.
Here are some suggestions:
Other Ideas to Consider
A local child care center in Ohio, Love N’ Learn, suggests seven practical ways to bring hope and spread kindness during the National Month of Hope.
—Demonstrate Love and Care to those around you.
—Make Others Feel that They Deserve Love. Tell them that. Remind them that everyone deserves happiness.
—Show People Acceptance. None of us are perfect, and often we feel insufficient—like we aren’t enough.
—Offer Help. Find out what people need and then do what you can to come alongside them.
—Show Them Appreciation. It’s not every day that we receive words of encouragement and affirmation. Sometimes, we just want to hear a compliment or a simple “Thank you,” "Well done,” or “You look pretty.” It doesn’t take much, but these words can go a long way to build up hope.
—Help Them Find Their Passion. People who have direction and live and work in their areas of passion tend to be happier. Sometimes we lose our way, and we need a little nudge to find our way again. It can even be helpful to encourage people to set some simple goals to take baby steps forward.
—Stay Connected. People might not tell you that they want your company, but there are a lot of lonely people out there in the world. Life is lonely, and loneliness can lead to hopelessness.
Let’s Lengthen Our Thread of Hope!
Whether we only hold a tiny thread of hope in our hands or we carry an enormous ball of yarn, let’s reach out to those around us and extend some hope. If we each do our part in sharing hope with our friends, families, neighbors, and co-workers, just imagine how beautiful and how long our community thread of hope will be!
