Hope is not supposed to be heavy.

This post is a reflection to a podcast I listened to this morning, called the Upside Down Podcast, Episode #54. It was very insightful— click here to visit their website!

After listening through for the 2nd time (I enjoyed the episode so much that I listened to it twice today!), I was reflecting on the main idea, which is the concept of Hope. More specifically: Hope as an act of Resistance. Personally, the idea of hope has always been a difficult thing for me to define. Is hope wishful thinking? Is it just pure optimism? Is it “releasing” everything to a higher power? Is constantly being “hopeful” even a realistic way to live one’s life?

I was very moved by hearing hope described as a call to action. Usually, when I think of hope, it feels like a stationary verb. It feels heavy and slow, and something to be approached precariously, for fear of releasing a massive bundle of impending disappointment. When the idea of hope comes up in conversation, I typically feel it as something deep and assured, yet simultaneously lofty and almost whimsical. The concept of hope in God is something that I believe and understand, but for some reason, I have always had a hard time making sense of how hope really unfolds in my day-to-day-life.

Here is what hope looks like, as an act of Resistance: Hope is an action whereby we choose to direct our minds against taking situations in life at face value.

Hope is not necessarily blindly believing that “things will get better”— instead, it means resisting the urge to give up on a situation in the face of struggle.

• “Hope” is actively pursuing gratefulness and appreciating each moment and experience in life.

• “Hope” is recognizing that grief and loss can be great teachers of empathy and compassion.

• “Hope” is exercising our joy and peace because these things are choices and are within our control.

• “Hope” involves being aware that our journey matters because we have the ability to engage with and inspire the people around us.

• “Hope” is a belief that we are all part of a story bigger than ourselves, and the Author isn’t done yet.

Many of the things that happen to us and we experience in life are thrust upon us and are beyond our control (because of things like societal constructs, family dynamics, and nature itself)— but we can control our responses. The way we choose to live each day, despite our circumstances, will dictate the level of Hope that we receive, project, and experience.

What does Hope mean to you?

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Leave a comment below :) I would love to hear from you, especially if you have a different belief/you feel differently than what I’ve written above. My favourite part of blogging is the meaningful conversations I get to have with people afterward.

Thanks heaps for reading! <3