by Douglas L. Anderson, PsyD

 

 

Hope is often defined as a wish or a desire that something of our choosing will be discovered or will come to pass.  We might say we hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow so that we can have our softball tournament.  Maybe we hope that our drunk uncle doesn’t show up for the wedding!  In short, such hopes are wishes without any guarantee we will get the desired outcome.

 

Hope sometimes has a more firm meaning.  For example, for those who believe in God and in the importance of scripture, the Bible indicates that hope is the confident expectation of what God has promised and its strength is in God’s faithfulness.  This hope inspires living well and loving well.

 

Likewise, for those who do not believe in God but who experience a deep sense of meaningful existence in this world, for that group hope seems to have a more firm meaning as well.  Hope is the belief that no matter what happens in this world, life is meaningful and worthy of our investment to live well and to love well.

 

What I think is important to recognize is that hope does not seem to be something we generate.  That is, it is difficult for us to conjure up the more firm meaning of hope.  Rather, hope springs up from within us.  It is inherent in what it means to be human.  Our very nature, our normal inclination, is to be hopeful, to experience life as deeply meaningful, to believe in good, and to see the value of each human being.  

 

This deep inner sense of hope sometimes gets covered up or distorted by the experiences we have in our lives.  Histories of physical and sexual abuse can cloud our ability to cling to the hope that is in us.  The sudden and unexpected loss of a job (for whatever reason) can contribute to at least a temporary inability to hang on to the hope that is in us.  One more compromised crop because of another season of too much rain or too much drought can chip away at the hope that is in us.  

 

But none of these experiences can completely destroy hope because hope is an integral aspect of our humanity.  We simply have hope.  Even when we have times of doubt and desperation, something deep within us tells us to hang on, to find our way forward, and to have the confidence and expectation that life is meaningful on even our worst days.

 

On those “worst days” we are wise to seek out friends and family who can offer their love and support.  We sometimes need the help of others when it comes to making good decisions.  We sometimes just need a listening ear so that we can offload some of the pain or stress that we are experiencing.  We were made for relationship, and when we engage in healthy relationships we almost always find our way back to a position of stable hope.  This is a hope that is not a mere wish.  Rather, it is the kind of hope that lies at the very foundation of what it means to be human.  It is an enduring hope, a sustaining hope, a confident hope.

 

Sioux Falls Psychological Services and River Counseling Services meet you where you are, offering hope.  That is our mission.  If you want a little help with rediscovering the hope that is in you, consider meeting with one of our therapists.  You may schedule an appointment or meet with one of our Sioux Falls Psychological Services/River Counseling therapists from your own computer or smartphone.  To schedule an appointment please call 605-334-2696.