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By Dan Hamilton
Special to The Sentinel
During the holiday season a word we often throw around is "hope." As a child we "hope" for that special gift. As teenagers we "hope" we are accepted or liked. As an adult we "hope" for that job, promotion, house or that fulfilling relationship. We also "hope" for joy, health, and good news!
Most religions present some form of hope message. My Christian faith during this season screams hope into the hopelessness of life's struggles and pain. The Jewish holiday Hanukkah is also about hope in a despairing situation.
Last month I shared about thankfulness during adversity but how do we find hope when the doctor says it's cancer, or our spouse leaves or we lose our job?
As a chaplain I've been there on the joy filled days of a successful recovery after an illness or accident. But I've also been there when the doctor delivers bad news. "This is cancer." "We can't fix it." Or "I'm sorry to tell you, your loved one didn't make it."
More than that, I've heard the good news and the bad news. I can tell you exactly where I was when the doctor called and said, "it looks like you have cancer." I vividly recall when the doctor told me that my wife had cancer. Our world stops and hope seems far away.
When we go to the doctor, we hope it isn't cancer, but then we find out it is. Then we hope it can be treated, but we find out it can't. Then we hope we don't suffer, and our death is peaceful. We find hope in those things around us.
Basically 3 things become important.
1. Suffering being minimized.
2. Knowing we love someone, and someone loves us.
3. Our faith in God and our hope from our spiritual beliefs.
Hope is not a fantasy that things will be well when they are not. Nor is it a useless dream. It's a reality.
In life's darkest days, remember these aspects of hope.
Hope always exists
Psalm 71 is called a "Prayer for God's help in old age." After discussing the loneliness, pain, weakness and the difficulty of suffering and aging (that doesn't sound hopeful!) it declares "as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more." (Psalm 71:14). Yes, hope is one thing we can have left even when life is tough.
Hope produces the advent themes of joy and peace!
Joy is not the same thing as fun.
But because we have hope, we may experience inner peace (wholeness) and contentment that spills over to others. Scripture declares "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13).
Hope gives us strength when we feel helpless and weak.
Isaiah 40 declares, "people are like the grass. Their beauty fades as quickly as the flowers in a field. The grass withers and the flowers fade. But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint." (Isaiah 40: 6,7 and 31)
Hope provides security when life is shaky.
Adversity may rock our world but "You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety." (Job 11: 18-19)
"Man can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air...but only for one second without hope." – Hal Lindsey
When nothing makes sense around us how do we find hope? In a world surrounded by evil, trauma and self-centeredness, Hope invades the darkness with Light. In my faith Good News was Light in the darkness through Christ. Hope has come.
How do we hope? We look beyond the tragedy, suffering and loss and find hope and light in the God of our Salvation. The Psalmist declared "I lift up my eyes to the mountains -- where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1-2)
Angels declared to fearful shepherds in a world filled with violence, hatred, oppression, and suffering "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news." (Luke 2:10)
If your world is shaken and you are overwhelmed by a sense of helplessness, may you find hope that brings peace, strength, and comfort. Then join me in pouring that hope out to others.
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Dan Hamilton is chaplain at Geisinger-Lewistown Hospital.