What are You Hoping for Today?
The beginning of term for me looked like isolating at home as my husband, and then I, got covid. As I went about cancelling my plans for the required isolation time, I felt the familiar feeling of disappointment that I’d come to associate with lockdowns. Only this time, the rest of the world would continue to go about their lives.
I’ve been reflecting on whether we need hope in order to flourish? When my usual source of things to look forward to are no longer available, short-term hope seems to evaporate.
Hope is a powerful emotion, first recognised in the wake of World War II when psychologists realised that, amidst terrible suffering, prisoners during the war were kept alive by hope. It makes intuitive sense–when we have something to look forward to, we are motivated to survive and thrive. We want to make the most of that experience or cherish that special moment. Maybe that’s why Paul repeatedly talks about Jesus Christ as our hope; the certain hope that spurs us onto good works, and in which we can boast... Now that is a hope that covid can’t take away!
What are you hoping for today? This semester didn’t start the way I was hoping it would, and maybe it hasn’t for you either. I found new, home-bound, activities that I could look forward to amongst zoom sessions, what about you? As for the bigger picture, let’s not lose sight of the hope we have in Jesus!
Rebecca Webb
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