Comments on: Hope Leads to Action

By: floyd samons

floyd samons — Thu, 14 Feb 2019 00:29:51 +0000

This is very enlightening and brings much more depth to a complex subject.

Although it doesn’t seem to come to mind upon first contemplating, I think free will is the underlying subject, which you point out in that it can be learned. We’re not animals, we have intelligence beyond instinct.

I’m a realist, but very much the optimist that uses life long perseverance to fulfill what it is I believe is set before me to accomplish.

By: Barbara Harper

Barbara Harper — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 21:43:20 +0000

Interesting to think of the connection between hope and action! I don’t think I ever have before, quite that way, but I see it: your hope will definitely affect your actions.

By: Andrew Budek-Schmeisser

Andrew Budek-Schmeisser — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 19:57:08 +0000

Lisa, I’m so sorry I’ve been absent; I’m getting my butt kicked by cancer, and, more specifically, I haven’t been getting email notifications of new posts!

Great thoughts here, and the study is interesting, and telling.

Some thoughts…

They tell me I’ve got no hope,
that cancer’s gonna win.
That kind of talk’s like selling rope
to a hanged man’s kin.
They wave statistics in my face,
it’s fatal, sure enough.
But I have hidden, lethal grace,
the hardest of the tough.
I face my demons every night,
and at daybreak they’re still here.
They think they will put faith to flight
and drown me in my fear.
They tell me that hope’s a fraud,
but my bodyguard’s first name is ‘God’.

By: Carrie Ann Golden

Carrie Ann Golden — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 15:29:23 +0000

Your post have made me think about what I’ve experienced years ago when I learned I was going blind, and then losing my first husband in a car accident. I had all the optimism in the world but bad things still happened. But through it all I had hope (and faith) that somehow I would get through these all I had to do was take one day at a time, and keep moving forward. 🙂 I was tempted to just lay in bed all day, but hope kept me going. Thank you for this wonderful post 🙂

By: Sigrid Chu

Sigrid Chu — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 01:50:28 +0000

Hello Lisa,

Growing up I was very optimistic. The older I got, the more pessimistic I’ve become. But I’ve always been full of hope.

I love this post. Thank you for sharing!

Best,
Sigrid

By: Faith

Faith — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 00:46:20 +0000

To me, optimism is a bit fleeting because you can have all the optimism in the world about say some blood work…optimistic that the bad cholesterol levels will be lower this year. But the reality of,the number might not be what you thought. hope is more powerful. It comes after having faith in something or Someone ( Jesus). It’s an assurance type of thing. We have our Hope in a Living God who then breathes hope into us.

By: Kelsey

Kelsey — Mon, 11 Feb 2019 21:34:50 +0000

Amen! Hope absolutely does spur us to action. It’s hard when sometimes that action is… being patient 🙂 I lean towards the optimistic side generally, but I also tend to worry.

By: Julie

Julie — Mon, 11 Feb 2019 21:26:05 +0000

The best definition I have read for hope is “holy confidence.” I think the word is used lightly – I hope it doesn’t rain, I hope I don’t get sick – and therefore loses its power. But true hope really is a very poweeful thing!

By: Carol

Carol — Mon, 11 Feb 2019 16:05:10 +0000

Well said. Hope allows us to persist when we face difficulty. God’s promises, his word has guided me through some tough times.

By: Lesley

Lesley — Mon, 11 Feb 2019 15:36:34 +0000

Hope is so important – it really does make a big difference to our attitudes and our actions. I think there is a difference between hope and optimism. I’m not always optimistic about circumstances – I tend to imagine the worst and play over all the possible outcomes in my mind – but I still have hope, which I think is deeper – not so much about believing the situation will turn out ok, but trusting that God is still there and that he can work good even when the circumstances are bad.