Feeling Hopeless? Your Guide to the Healing Power of Hope
Feeling Hopeless? Your Guide to the Healing Power of Hope
By Chloe JonPaul, M. Ed.
There are moments in our lives when a profound sense of hopelessness envelops us, placing us on the brink of despair.
Remaining stuck in this state will only bring more misery so we need to learn how to bring victory out of what seems to be defeat.
You may feel that your prayers have gone answered and you find yourself muttering “God, don’t You care?”
God’s response, however is always in His own time and in His own way – wonderful and mysterious though it may be. He may be using your particular situation to teach you something and to strengthen your faith.
In the Old Testament we read about King David’s sense of hopelessness in Psalm 143. And how about Job? He lost everything; yet his trust in the Lord never wavered.
Both men pleaded with God, telling Him how they felt; and remembering His goodness of old. They continued to worship in spite of their hardships, trusting Him, and asking for direction.
This is why one of my early morning prayers each day is: “Lord, I seek Your counsel and permission for all that I do this day.” This prayer, as well as “Jesus, I trust in You,” uttered throughout the day have enabled me to face the most challenging times of my life.
One of our most famous presidents, Abraham Lincoln, is a real model for overcoming hopelessness.
- He had failed in business
- Lost his sweetheart at age 35
- Had a nervous breakdown at 36
- Was defeated 3 times for Congress and was
- Defeated as well for the Senate and Vice-Presidency
Yet he persevered and was elected President at the age of 60.
I highly recommend the following resources for you to explore:
- When Your Prayers Go Unanswered by Rev. Keith McClellan
- JourneyAnswers.com : offers a segment on “Hopelessness”
- American Bible Society\’s “God Understands” – Their three short chapters on despair and hopelessness are a must-read!
- Happify.com: Here is where you can find tips on teaching your brain to better cope with stress.
- Last but not least: Hildegard of Bingen’s Spiritual Remedies by Dr. Wighard Stehlow. This book is based on five of her books on spiritual and psychological healing principles.
Now I close with one of my favorite prayers:
Prayer of St. Teresa of Avila
Let nothing disturb you; nothing frighten you. All things are passing. God never changes. Patience obtains all things. Nothing is wanting to him who possesses God. God alone suffices.
So…look upward and onward because the best is yet to come!
In addition to being a longtime member of the NABBW, a hospice and homeless shelter volunteer, world traveler and an advisory board member for the Maryland Dept. of Aging\’s Healthcare Commission and their Interagency Commission for Aging Services, Chloe Jon Paul, M.Ed., is a retired educator -turned-writer with four published books to her credit. Her first book, What Happens Next? A Family Guide to Nursing Home Visits… and More, was originally published in paperback, and is now available on Kindle. Subsequent books include Entering the Age of Elegance, a travel guide for Baby Boomer women, complete with curiosity-evoking subtitles as Change Your Oil Filter, The FGA Quotient, The F-Word You Need to Use, The 10 Commandments of Aging Motherhood, and Just Heard It through the Grapevine. Recently she\’s turned out a novel, This Business of Children, and a children\’s book, The Girl Who did Not Like Her Name. Chloe is also a co-author with David Mezzapelle in his latest book, Contagious Optimism, and featured in Don McAuley’s book, 50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading.
