3 Practical Ways to Build a Foundation of Hope
We had the privilege of serving a home-cooked dinner to the families at the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at our local children’s hospital the week of Christmas with the help of a number of thoughtful and generous friends. One of the things we talked about afterwards is the fact that medical crisis doesn’t discriminate. It can hit at any moment, regardless of income level, culture, or belief system.
When a challenge or crisis comes, it is generally unexpected. It’s in those times that having a foundation of hope can make a huge difference in how we weather the storm. So what are practical ways to build a foundation of hope? Here are a few things that have worked for us.
1. Fill your mind with hopeful truth
The challenge of holding onto hope in medical challenges was a mental and spiritual struggle first for me. Our story with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) involved months of waiting for a diagnosis and many unknowns as we tried to figure out what life was going to look like. Unknowns are tough. Each time we have to face a “what if,” we make a choice of whether we’re going to feed fear and anxiety or hope and faith.
So what does it look like to set your mind on hope-filled truth? For me, there is nothing as powerful as the truth of Jesus’s life. He was born fully God and fully man. He lived a perfect life and willingly endured the worst pain and suffering imaginable. He took the punishment for our wrongdoing. But that’s not all. He lives today — risen from the dead — and we can have His life and presence with us. That is lasting, rock-solid hope.
That truth was and still is a sustaining force in me and in our family. It helps me counter the fear and anxiety that inevitably come with difficulty. If you’re looking for some big hope-filled truths, check these out:
You can also follow us on instagram or facebook for more of these.
2. Think on hope-filled stories
Mary Beth and I learned a long time ago that we prefer to surround ourselves with hope-filled and optimistic stories. It’s not that we ignore or avoid difficult things; it’s that we know how powerful and encouraging it is to be around other people that are focused on hope.
You can also check out the stories we’ve published. The influence of these families has shaped how we approach difficulty, and I know our life would be different if it weren’t for them.
We know that there are countless untold stories of hope out there, so if you have a story to tell, you can share your story with the helloHOPE community.
3. Ask for hope from the author Himself
We can work on building up hope by reading stories, memorizing truth, and keeping a positive outlook, but there is no substitute for prayer. Jesus, the one who endured so much pain and sorrow on our behalf, is ready and listening. He is eager to answer our prayers for hope.
We recently wrote about Abby Smith’s story with Synovial Cell Sarcoma. Although she passed away two years ago, her story of hope continues to encourage people facing medical adversity. One of the most remarkable things about her is the comfort that she took from knowing that Jesus could relate and comfort her:
“I’ve never felt more like He understands what I’m going through than now because I know that He went through the worst possible pain that you can go through as a human, and I know He knows exactly what I feel. And I think that’s the main reason why I think I can turn to Him because He’s been through it all already and He promises to help us through that.”
One of our core values is the belief that Jesus offers abundant life to everyone, not just the healthy. Abby is certainly an example of that.
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If you are dealing with tough questions or you are looking for hope, you may also be interested in this post on how to overcome adversity with a foundation of hope.