by Jonathan Brooks
Hope changes our views of the world and the world itself. It takes courage to have hope! Hope takes moxie. It calls for a positive attitude and perseverance. In our life stories we are offered the choice to shine light or to cower in darkness. I stopped living in fear long ago. Hope offered me light and a way away from darkness and fear. Pessimism can take the next one way ticket to anywhere but my place. Courage to rebel against myself and the crowd and the noise and my own folly and all that would harm me is a virtue I’ve been practicing all of my adult life. It hasn’t always been easy, but it has always been rewarding.
I encourage you to persevere in hope now and always. If you are in the habit of praying then keep the prayers coming through the sunshine and the storms. If you are active in charities in your community then keep on fighting that good fight. If you are an encourager then keep lifting up others through kind words. Let us not lose sight of life’s beauties.
This world has always been capable of nightmares. Although daydreams are also realities. We are all free to see what we choose to see and to act however we would like to act. I’ve lived through nightmares before to rejoice on the other side. After the nightmare ended I would be back to cracking jokes with my friends and having one heaven of a time. Nightmares and long term fear need not apply here ’cause I’d rather daydream my days away.
I hope you choose a hopeful world view even if the world thinks of you as a fool. As a boy I experienced enough sorrow and despair and melancholy to teach me to wise up and look up. I looked up to the risen Christ. Jesus offered and offers me hope. This is the great light that led me out of the darkness. There is no room in the inn of my soul for pessimism.
Fight the great fight of staying hopeful. I am confident you have the courage and moxie that this fight will demand of you. Life and light are beautiful just like they have always been.