The need for hope

A new year is usually the purveyor of hope. The new year comes with excitement and enthusiasm. People go round wishing whoever cares to listen “ happy new year”. The atmosphere is full of joy, gifts are exchanged and people even make new year resolutions to make the year a good one for them. Problem, however, arises as the year progresses. As the excitement of the new year wanes so does the confidence of many. Resolutions get broken, life gets tough and people get discouraged. We must not let the euphoria of hope die as the year progresses.

Hope is an indispensable ingredient that we need to make this year work. Hope is needed to keep our heads up and see that all is not bleak-there is still light at the end of the tunnel. Hope is needed in the darkness of gloom and doom.

“Hope itself is like a star- not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity, and only to be discovered in the night of adversity.”     Charles H. Spurgeon

Going through the year without hope is simply shooting ourselves in the foot. A life devoid of hope is a life of despair.

“You’ve gotta have hope. Without hope life is meaningless. Without hope life is meaning less and less.” Author Unknown

Every year comes with opportunities but a lack of hope will blind us to the opportunities that will come our way to make the year good. Living without hope is sentencing oneself to a life of frustration and drudgery.

Hope is what keeps us going even in the midst of contrary and adverse situation and circumstances. The hope of a better tomorrow keeps us to keep living today.

“Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.” Thich Nhat Hanh

Hope is what keeps our dreams alive. Hope keeps us moving . Hope paints a picture of the future that we desire. We need hope as we proceed into the year. Hope will make our travel through the year better.

“The road that is built in hope is more pleasant to the traveler than the road built in despair, even though they both lead to the same destination.” Marian Zimmer Bradley

Hope makes us optimistic which is a needed ingredient in this the negative world that we live in. Optimism helps us see life in the right perspective so we can keep moving when others are still mopping, groaning and complaining.

“A pessimist sees only the dark side of the clouds, and mopes; a philosopher sees both sides, and shrugs; an optimist doesn’t see the clouds at all — he’s walking on them.” Leonard Louis Levinson

“Of course I look at the glass half full. The only time I would look at it half empty is when I think about how good the first half tasted.” Drew Deyoung

We need hope to have a really happy new year