HOPE

Dearest Ones,

How many times a day do I say, either mentally or in my conversation, "I hope." Countless times. The opposite of hope is despair. Psychologists tell us hopelessness is not something we're born with - it's something we learn. All children are born with hope to begin with and somehow, through neglect or abuse, they learn to despair. It's not just physical abuse that destroys hope, it is mental abuse, too.

Most families have hope for a newly born child, but along the way it's hope begins to be shattered because the child discovers that many of the people in which he placed his hopes, disappoint him. I used to think the physical damage of a child is greater than emotional damage, but its the dashing of a child's hopes, emotionally, which remain long after physical pain is gone.

David Meece, well known Christian composer and author of one of my favorite songs, "We are the Reason," struggles with his childhood memories because as a child, his father told him, "You're worthless." He never forgot those words. Although he has come to know the Lord and with His help he is now able to forgive his father, those two words brought so much pain.

Children do get depressed and they get depressed as often as adults do, but their depression differs from adults in a very striking way. There are between 20,000 and 50,000 suicides among young adults each year, almost all of which are due to depression. The most common cause of depression is hopelessness. It is the most accurate predictor of suicide. Those who commit suicide think their present misery will last forever and the only way out is suicide. They have no hope.

Children below the age of seven never commit suicide - even though they can understand the finality of death, but what they can't do is stay in a state of hopelessness for very long. They are filled with hope...until life begins to take it away. That's one of the great things about kids. As parents, they hate to see this sense of hope taken away.

Children enjoy every moment. We learn to be hopeless and we learn to feel helpless, unless we have something at the center of our lives - holding us steady. Begin to cultivate feelings of hope in your child at a young age. Learn passages from the Bible that are hope-filled. Psalm 42 says: "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? Hope in God." Hebrews 6 has the marvelous quote from St. Paul: "We have this hope as an anchor in Christ that we may be greatly encouraged."

Hope is what keeps us going. Hope is the thing that gets us up in the morning. At times when you know God cares but you haven't seen any evidence of it recently - hope drives you onward when you want to quit. When tempted to give up, hope whispers, "Try it one more time." Hope keeps your dreams alive while you're waiting. We all need hope because we're not in control.

When we've been going through difficult times and we know our hope ought to be in the Lord, yet our will gets in the way, sometimes, we just have to let go and just hang onto God. God promised to help and He would not lie to his children. It helps not to listen to pessimistic people - they can drag you down. Instead, go out and encourage someone who is worse off then you are. Cling to God. Hope in God is necessary because often there is nowhere else to go.

We are all on a journey and we can't see ahead. My dears, if we are anchored in God, we are relieved of a thousand worries. If we are attached to God, we don't have to worry because He gives us strength and wisdom for all those times when we don't know what to do.

If you've ever read Dante's "Divine Comedy," written in the 14th century, you may remember the inscription over the doorway to hell: "Abandon all hope, all you who enter here." It is a reminder that those who don't know the Lord have no hope. I don't know what your challenges are today - you're pushing forward, getting up every day, into the challenges. I pray you are not without hope - may you be fastened tightly to the anchor of Christ and His Cross. If you are, then pass your hope along to others and pray for those without hope. It is the surest way to keep it and don't forget to thank God for the hope you have.

With love and hope,

Sister Francelle