Hope

Singers sing about it. Foundations are named after it. Artisits create in response to it. Preachers preach about it . . .

*Hope is a belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one's life. Hope implies a certain amount of perseverance — i.e., believing that a positive outcome is possible even when there is some evidence to the contrary.* ~wikipedia.org

I found this copy of a famous painting done by Henri Rousseau. I really like his style and use of nature in his pieces. I was reading that he was a artist of the 1800's. He had come from a humble home. His father was a plumber. He had no formal training and said that nature was his teacher. He had sad circumstances surround him throughout his life, like losing 7 children to tuberculosis. He persevered on. It appears to me that this man had quite a bit of hope.

This morning, I was wrestling with doubt and fears concerning my ability to raise and teach all my children. I opened the bible to Psalms and found some encouragement in Psalm 25. David prayed, "Show me the path where I should walk, O Lord; point out the right road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you." (verses 4 and 5)

I looked up the word hope and really meditated on it throughout the morning. I had a new focus and vision for my day.

It is my hope that I train these children up well. It is an overwhelming task that I am faced with each day. So many days I feel like sinking into despair, the opposite of hope. I want to just throw in the towel. I see so many negative circumstances in my face and I want to scream and give up. I guess I need a bit of hope and trust in God, my maker.

I love emotions. I am thankful today for hope. I am thankful for countless examples of hope that surround me each day and history that display its power.