How to Turn Desperation into Cheerful Circumstances

A big box of Joy!

This is the season of hope and joy! But let’s face the truth right now: we feel like saying bah-humbug, right? Living the single-again life--especially if it's a new situation to us--brings on welcome activities like pulling the covers over our heads for the next two months!  

If we want to breathe, however, the covers must come off. But good news, we are stronger than we look, certainly after savoring that morning cup of coffee, tea, or juice. Getting dressed in something cozy and colorful, styling our hair and makeup, and stepping outside for a walk will fill our lungs with hope. Now, we can think clearly.

Anticipate Something Good
We can take this season and make all sorts of things into new habits and traditions. We can show the world we are here to stay on our terms! Remember, our lives don't have to be a picture of perfection. We can choose to simply live, breathe and survive by what we do and how we act. One definition of hope is "anticipating something good to come in the future." Ready to test that thought? 

All of these fun pick-me-ups could fit right into our new wonderful lives (remember that's a choice we have too):

• Connect with a close friend who really understands and supports us. 
• Change our thinking and celebrate our own life. Try simple things we've never considered before such as a new restaurant. A new route to work. A new workout center. A new quilt for our bed.  
• Keep our sense of humor, even if we're not known as the funny-type. Watch a comedy. Tell jokes with our kids/grandkids. Share an amusing story with a family member.
• Keep an encouragement journal. As often as we can (morning or night) just list a few things we are grateful for or that bring us happiness.  
• Volunteer to help someone in need. Work at a thrift store that benefits abused women. Read to children or the elderly. Teach someone to dance. 
• If we don't feel like being the cook this year for family dinners, it's okay to bring a store-bought dish or flowers. Really. 

” Hope is the power of being cheerful in circumstances that we know to be desperate.” –G.K. Chesterton, English writer, and philosopher

The Truth and Nothing but the Truth

The truth is powerful, and we need a good dose of it right now. Aren't we tired of experiencing lies, people evading us, and abusing our good nature? Of course, we are. On our topic for today, then, we need to know where hope comes from, so we can understand it and, apply it to our lives. If not, our hearts will continue to feel "sick." Our stomachs will react negatively to our situations. 

Don't forget Hope!

Ready for a great truth? God is the original source of all hope. He knew we would someday need all the hope we could get. He offers it to us with hands outstretched! The Bible, in fact, tells us that hope creates patience, courage, and joy. So, we can THEN understand why we have none of these at times. Without hope, we have nothing else. In fact, it is one of the three things which last: faith, hope, and [true] love. 

Hope is produced by endurance--when we "hang in there" and keep moving forward no matter what happens. No matter how much pain we might be feeling. When we do something hard for a long time and still end up breathing. It is not a magical "wishful thinking" kind of thing. Hope is the confidence we have in things that are unclear or unseen. It's our inspiration! 

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13 NLT).