We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope. — Martin Luther King, Jr.
Choose Lockdown
From a psychological perspective, and according to research by Dr. Rick Snyder (1944–2006), a professor of clinical psychology who studied hope for thirty-four years at the University of Kansas,1 hopeful thinkers achieve more and are more successful. They are physically and psychologically healthier than less hopeful people. Snyder's hope theory, according to one summary, "defines hope as a dynamic motivational experience that is interactively derived from two distinct types of cognitive tools in the context of goal achievement — namely, pathways and agency thinking. His theory proposes that hope results from an individual's perceived ability to develop numerous and flexible pathways toward their goals, allowing them to identify barriers and strategies to overcome these as they move toward goal achievement."2
For example, if we were to apply Snyder's hope theory to our lives, it would be a three-step process that looks like this:
Step 1: Encourage Goal-Oriented Thinking
Goals can be long-term or short-term. Be intentional and set your goals. What goals do you need to achieve to answer your calling? What dreams are you wanting to make a reality?
Step 2: Find Pathways to Achievement
A pathway is a workable route to your goals. If a setback occurs, be creative, and find another pathway. It's not going to be easy, but identifying the barriers, complications, or risks will allow you to problem-solve and create a plan.
Step 3: Instigate Change
Take time to develop good habits that will allow you to keep moving forward and in the direction of achieving your goals. Be flexible and willing to create new path- ways. Be open to change and allow it to fuel your motivation.
Snyder says hope is the state of mind that helps you navigate life's twists and turns, and keeps you moving forward when times are tough. What's more, as we shall see, hope isn't simply a happy feeling — it's a human survival mechanism that fuels your desire to keep pushing on and growing.3
To me, from my own experiences and walk of faith with God,
- hope is unshakeable confidence in God.4
It doesn't deny the reality of our pain, but it does give us a life beyond our pain. It gives us permission to believe in a new beginning. It gives us permission to dream again. It is the happy and confident expectation of good that lifts our spirits and dares us to believe in a different future — in a different dream. It is always looking to God with expectation: "Now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You."5
But when we lose hope, when all we feel is the pain of loss and disappointment, it can be so hard to believe that God wants to help us or that He cares, because we have more questions than answers. More doubt than faith. And yet, that is the perfect time to become a prisoner of hope.
A prisoner of hope sounds like an odd thing to be, doesn't it? Aren't prisoners locked up in high-security institutions and stripped of all their freedoms? Why would we want to be characterized as a prisoner of anything, even hope?
Because being a prisoner of hope in God is different.
- God's prisoners of hope aren't forced into an institution for punishment but invited into a fortress for safety.
Imagine a castle that stands firm even when the very foundations of life are shaken. A place created just for us, where we can chain ourselves to the promise that God is working all things for our good, even when all things are falling apart. From the high tower of this fortress, we prisoners of hope gain a whole new perspective. We can look beyond our unexpected circumstances to the future, trusting that God has good things in store for us.
When I first learned to think and live this way, it was revolutionary to me. I was raised in a religious tradition that never encouraged me to expect good things from God. In fact, it was considered presumptuous to even imagine that God had time for my requests, given that He had an entire world to run. I'm so glad I discovered in His Word that God is good, God does good, and God wants to do good for me — all the time. But to keep my heart and mind thinking and believing this way on a daily basis doesn't come naturally; instead, it's always a choice, one I have to make again and again.
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