Happy New week steemians.
Our last blog was about distraction and ways to curb it for positive outcome. We can catch up here if we missed it. We'll be discussing HOPE this time and why it is important to always keep it (hope) alive in our every day life. We'll also tend to smoothen the discussion with stories and illustrations.
The Oxford Dictionary of contemporary English defines hope as:
a feeling of expectation and desire for a particular thing to happen.
Going a bit "catholical", we can define hope as a "supernatural gift from God, which makes us expect joyfully all what God has promised us".
One thing is common about the above definitions: while we hope, we expect with joy and desire. But amidst the frequent disappointments we face in today's world, it could be extremely difficult to hope or trust with joy and excitement. Often times our experiences had clouded our judgement that the concept of "hoping" is but a mere fallacy.
THE THREE YOUNG TREES
The tale of the three trees is a story that portrays hope and why it should be kept alive.
Once upon a forest, three young trees were fantasising about their future ambitions. "I'll be carved into a beautiful treasure chest when I grow up", said the first tree. "Kings and princes will store their golds and other valuable in me".
The second tree wants to become a royal ship: "I will carry kings and the wealthy across borders", it said. The third tree's ambition is somewhat different in that it doesn't want to be cut down. "I want to grow so tall that I'll touch heaven. I'll mediate between God and the people and the whole world will look up to me.
BUT...
After a few years, a pair of saw-millers came to the forest to get logs. Alas, the three trees were cut down! The third tree's hope has probably been shattered by these diligent forest labourers.
Time after time, the first tree was bought by a petty craftsman and made into food storage for sheeps and goats while only a tiny boat could be made from the second tree. Now there seemed to be no hope!
AND BOOM!
A lowly parent had just given birth to a baby boy, placed inside this box meant for sheeps. They were victims of hate by their own king at that time and the man had to run out of the country with his pregnant wife who was in labour. "I would have loved to put him in a fine crib, but this manger looks good", the woman said. Some wise men came to present the baby with gifts and acclaimed him as their "king". The first tree knew right there that the greatest treasure has just been placed inside it and became happy to have fulfilled his dreams.
Several years later a bunch of wanderers were paddling the boat made from the second tree. Suddenly everywhere got so breezy and the river extremely turbulent. All the men in the boat were afraid except for a young man who was fast asleep. "Please help us master for we are sinking", they said to him. He opened his eyes, stretched his hand out in absolute confidence to command the turbulence waters: "peace! Be still!" he ordered. There became calmness once again and the other men acclaimed him if their "Lord". Immediately, the tree realised that he had carried the "King of all kings" across the river. It's hope was kept alive once more.
Then on a fateful day, the tide of public opinion turned against a "sinless" man and was condemned to the "cross". The executioners fetched the third tree and gave him to carry. After enough humiliation and upon climbing a tall hill, he was nailed on the tree and raised up. There was darkness and thunderstorms all over and the incidence trended. The whole world would look up to this man on the tree in prayer to the heavens. And so, the third tree became extremely happy that the reality of it's dream was only made more dramatic, but never lost.
We can see in the story how shallow and thin the trees had dreamt in contrast to the gigantic ending and fulfilment they all got.
But we also read how disappointed and lost they were on their road to greatness. But despite their disappointments, they moved on. They continued with their struggles and kept hope alive, even the tree that was sawed down.
As humans living in a world where uncertainties abound, our hopes are being tested from time to time. We tend to feel disappointed in several endeavors of our being. We complain, murmur and lose hope without accepting and working harder at what life offered us.
But like the story, a wee bit of hope is needed to pick ourselves up and start all over. That the odds are not in our favour doesn't suggest the game has been finally lost. We must always pick ourselves up and work hard at what's on ground. Our wildest dreams are yet to be achieved if we do not give up hope.
Let's continue the week with hearts full of hope in great joy and trust. Our dreams will surely come to pass, maybe in a more dramatic fashion.
We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope...
I wish us a great week and perfect year.
