The Hope Factor

One can easily loose hope when dealing with a mental health issue.  Feeling hopeless is a common experience not only for those of us who have experienced mental health difficulties but also for our loved ones.  Loosing hope strikes right at the core of our will to live.  And this “thief of hope” leaves us "feeling" empty and void of any reason of moving forward. 

Not only have I experienced this myself, but also as a group facilitator I have seen it over and over.  Which has brought me to this conclusion: hope is not a feeling.  Rather, hope is a decision.  And when we choose to have hope, in spite of how we "feel", our feelings will follow. Therefore, there are times I choose to have hope despite what my circumstances look like much less how hopeless I might feel.

Each of us we must decide in whom or what we place our hope.  For me, my hope is in the Lord.  I see him as loving, kind, gracious and merciful. He has never let be down and is always with me.  So, I choose hope because of his faithfulness, not because of my circumstances or my feelings. For me, I know I can count on him working all things out for my good.

If you are feeling hopeless I encourage you to make a decision of your will to have hope in spite of your feelings or circumstances.  Place your hope in someone or something outside of yourself and your feelings will follow.  I call it the "hope factor"; having hope no matter what!

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace!"  

Romans 15:13

A Lesson Learned

There's a morale to this story: So, I was in the locker room after exercising and in walks a guy that none of us had seen before. He had a sort of husky build, but you could see the pride in his face. He seemed to be very pleased with himself after exercising. I suspect that he had finally decided to get to the gym and start an exercise program...as happens with many of us.

Well, after he walked past my buddies and I- we started to laugh hysterically because while the guy was acting like such a jock etc., little did he know that he had about a two foot piece of toilet paper hanging out of the waist band of his sweats! It looked like he had a toilet paper tail! Later we found out that he had been running on the track...and the toilet paper was flapping in the wind as he ran!!!

Morale of the story: when you decide to move forward in life, make sure you are leaving your past behind you. It's important to "disconnect" from what has been holding you back when moving forward! Just sayin'.... :)