Hope.

A word constantly shared, spread, and leaned on in times of need.

A word used so much it’s become a quick reply, not an applied heart attitude.

A word thrown out when someone is suffering, to cover the fact that there are no answers to heal the pain.

If I could count the times I have heard that single word offered to me through spouts of tears or anger.

Count the times I have intentionally stopped myself from saying it to others because I knew the feeling of somehow feeling more empty knowing hope wasn’t something I knew how to feel.

Hope.

A word I so often avoided reading verses about because it left me more frustrated than encouraged.

If I could count how many times I heard it, but let it go in one ear and out the other.

Hope.

A word the church repeats again and again- in attempts to soften calloused heart.

A word on many cards and letters, but not in many hearts.

Hope.

A word that often seems impossible to accept, impossible to find rest in.

A word that never has seemed to bring me no comfort when I am sick with worry and sadness.

A word I’ve prayed to feel again and again only to feel a void in.

Hope.

A word I have never felt I fully understand.

A word I don’t think many grasp fully, or hold to very well.

But how could we?

It lives outside the black and white lines we have made in life.

The word and everything that goes with it often living outside of logic.

Loosening your grasp on perceived control is scary, and it makes no sense.

A word I had come to hate, but have recently rediscovered the sweetness of it.

A word I’ve found no option but to cling to as of late.

Hope.

A four-letter word with that holds a joy and peace that knows no circumstantial limitations.

When you let it, it permeates an anxious heart.

When you let it, it settles a chaotic mind.

When you let it, it gives reason to hold on a little longer.

Hope.

Something I think everyone should take a new look at.

With fresh eyes, dropping previous connotations.

With a fresh lense, see hope for what it is.

Freeing, calming, and needed.

A word that offers more than an empty feeling, more than shallow conversational bits.

Hope.

Something that I believe is a choice.

I believe it is something to choose in the face of adversity, even when things are falling around you.

Hope.

A word I believe changes you, changes you more than logic or answers could fix your circumstance.

A word that is a healing balm when you learn it isn’t an answer but rather something to hold to.

Something to cling to when there is nothing else left.

A word that is four small letters, but life changing when you understand it.

Hope.

Share it, spread it, and lean on it.