A few months into the COVID-19 pandemic, all hope seemed lost for many people when work stopped and their means of livelihood suddenly evaporated. There was no end in sight as no one knew when all the lockdowns would end.
At the peak of the pandemic, a sense of hopelessness was everywhere. For many, it was despair beyond description. Losing hope is a very tough situation to be in. And when you've lost hope, you've lost everything.
First of all, let's agree on a definition of hope.
I define hope simply as the belief that my tomorrow will be better than today. People tend to lose hope when they're unable to see how their current helpless situation could improve in the near future.
From my perspective, there's one thing that I found common to most people who lose hope - the lack of a strong anchor onto which their hope could be moored. A ship's anchor holds it in place when the waves beat against it.
In the same way, our hope needs an anchor when the storms of life come. I believe every one of us needs a strong anchor to prevent us from descending into the depths of despair and hopelessness.
Do you know what yours is? Do you have a strong anchor to hold you when the storms of life come? For me, my faith is that anchor.
To be clear, I don't think having faith means being religious. Many of us tend to connect faith to religious activities but I think they're very different. Someone could be very religious and not have a strong faith. I've also come across irreligious people who are full of faith.
In my short existence on this planet, I have had my share of struggles, whether it's with my finances or interpersonal relationships. Each time I've experienced any such struggle, my faith in God has provided the support I needed.
Even when I'm tired, overwhelmed, burnt out, or grieving, I still felt God's love wrap around me like a comforting blanket. Each time, I could feel the peace of God in my soul despite the storms that surrounded me.
Having hope doesn't mean you deny or attempt to avoid your pains and helplessness. In fact, it means acknowledging it. Having hope helps you focus on the positive instead of allowing the negatives of your current circumstances to overwhelm you. A focus on the positive gives you the clarity of mind to think about steps you can take. It helps you see what's possible.
When my speaking engagements dried up after COVID hit the planet, the hope that tomorrow will be better helped me refocus my efforts on what I could control. With no travels because of the pandemic, I was able to finish and publish my book, Nothing Higher. I also had time to think about and develop a few on-demand masterclass sessions.
The kind of storm life throws at you doesn't matter. Having hope that is anchored in faith will help you weather the storms. So, if you're struggling, and you can't see any hope in sight, reach out to someone you can trust to help.
You can reach out to me if you think I've earned enough of your trust. I'm not saying I have all the answers, but I may be able to help point you in the right direction.
You've literally got nothing to lose and a lot to gain. Reach out and find that anchor for hope.