A Reason for Hope
By Mora Tiab
It is no secret that life lacks consistency. A day in itself can have highs and lows. The truth is that consistency is as synthetic as plastic. Everyone experiences difficulties and joys in their lives. More often than not, these difficulties cannot be controlled, but what can be controlled is my outlook on life and the experiences that come with it. For me, I find it easier to take on a negative outlook because that involves accepting what is and letting go of whatever control can be taken.
However, according to WebMD, a positive outlook on life has been attributed to several health benefits including lower blood pressure and better stress management. These effects are directly correlated to McGill’s Office for Science and Society’s article on the cardiovascular effects of anger.
Throughout the wild rollercoaster of life, we all have moments when we feel as though the whole world is against us; when we feel as though we are running on a treadmill and getting nowhere, when we feel we are doing everything we can yet still drowning. It is in these moments that a positive mindset seems to be a shield made of glass in a tumultuous hurricane – naive and useless.
Verywellmind calls it “toxic positivity.” Simply put, it is when negative feelings are ignored for the sake of “remaining positive.” Despite the beneficial effects of a positive mindset, toxic positivity takes it to an extreme and can induce feelings of guilt or sadness. Essentially, it’s nothing more than a façade meant to allow one to avoid confronting any difficult emotions. Since it is only possible to maintain a front for so long, the problem grows within over time and eventually comes out when we would least like it to. Seeing as how toxic positivity is not a better option than a negative outlook on life, there must be another option when life becomes difficult.
It is clear that too much of anything is detrimental, even positivity. In life, we need to remain grounded. But what can I do when I feel like there is nothing left to be positive about? This is where hope comes in. Christ warned us, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). I don’t live my life thinking that everything will be okay. If I just stay positive, it will all work out. I can’t even live life just bracing for the next bad thing to happen to me. I live with hope. I live knowing that there will be struggle, there will be tribulation, but I have hope that the One that overcame the world will deliver me and will be my Salvation.
Hope is the reason that I continue to work hard and do what is right. It is the driving force that allows me to face difficulties head-on, rather than running away. Without hope, the best thing that I can do is chase the next high or whatever makes me feel good at the moment. Whatever consequences this has on the future does not seem to matter when I lack any kind of hope for a good future.
Unlike positivity, hope is not a mindset. Hope is trust in a solid foundation. A foundation that is strong enough to withstand all difficulties that come to pass. It is reliable and supportive of my hope without ulterior motives. My foundation is in Christ – the One that will never fail me.
The Christian belief is that God created each and every person out of His immense love for each person. As the Father, He creates each person in His image; with intelligence and talents. Even an individual’s physical traits, personality, and the people placed in their lives are placed there intentionally. Everyone has hopes and dreams, but God has a purpose for us all that is greater than we can imagine. His greatest desire is that we fulfil our purpose by using our talents to learn and make an impact on the world around us.
My God is my hope and saviour that cannot be compared to any man. He is omniscient and omnipotent. He is eternal; without beginning or end, He is constant and unchanging. God’s character is undeniably and unwaveringly reliable.
These characteristics of God places mankind in a very advantageous position. No matter what I experience and no matter what I face, I know that an omnipotent God is taking care of me the way that a father cares for his child. Nothing can overcome a love like this. The history of the world is littered with people who struggled and held onto hope in God. Not only were they saved, they accomplished great things because their hope in God was not in vain.
As St. Paul puts it in Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV) “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” There were generations upon generations before us that took a leap of faith and God delivered them. When we take that leap, we know that we are not doing so blindly. The same God that delivered those that came before us through their hope, will deliver me too. Every leap of faith is a risk, but when considering Pascal’s wager about God from the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, one can acknowledge the fact that there is little to lose but so much to gain by placing my hope in God.
This hope in difficulties, this light in the darkness, is the reason Christmas is celebrated every year. Christmas itself is simply the celebration of the day that the Saviour was born, however, it’s not just any birthday that is celebrated every year. It is the reminder that there is hope – that I have hope. It reminds me that no one has to endure their difficulties alone. It is the reminder that God was incarnated and became man out of His immense love for each one of us His immense love is what saves me. My hope in God is the reason for the joy of Christmas.
References
Sherwood, Alison. “What is Positive Thinking?” WebMD, Jan. 16, 2022, https://www.webmd.co m/mental-health/positive-thinking-overview
Schwarcz, Joe. “Is it true that getting angry can affect the heart?” McGill Office for Science and Society, Feb. 20, 2017, https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/health-you-asked/it-true-getting- angry-can-affect-heart#:~:text=That’s%20because%20anger%20causes%20an,stress%20hormones%20adrenaline%20and%20cortisol.&text=Indeed%2C%20the%20risk%20of%20a,stroke%20is%20four%20times%20higher.
Cherry, Kendra. “What is Toxic Positivity?” verywellmind, Sept. 28, 2022, https://www.verywell mind.com/what-is-toxic-positivity-5093958
The Bible. New King James Version. Bible Gateway, version 42, Bible Gateway / Zondervan, 2016
Saka, Paul. “Pascal’s Wager about God” Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, https://iep.utm.edu /pasc-wag/