At the end of one year and the beginning of another there is a pause as we think back of the year gone by and perhaps give a general assessment of what the year was like. This could be that it was a brilliant year, or as Queen Elizabeth noted in 1992 it was an “annus horribilis”. Our lives are seemingly divided by the arbitrary dates and spans of time.
Living hope is one that won’t end. A hope that sees us through the worst and one that appears even when not expected or prayed for. We need that hope to get us through life: those days ahead. It is very easy for despair to arrive when this shinning hope disappears. This we don’t want. So the belief in and trust in hope, a living hope is essential.
...the whole of humanity is a work in progress. It has eras of good and periods of horror. In each individual there is the same. Each person can know moments of joy and times of difficulty and sorrow. All this makes the person who they are. And it behoves us to be gentle with everyone because we, like they, are far from complete.
In most areas of life we have a reasonable amount of confidence. But what happens when this isn’t so? What happens before major decisions and we suddenly come to a full and complete stop full of anxiety about the coming decision?
Where and what is the silver lining? How do we get there and what possibly could it be? Many will wonder if there is any point after all because of what has been encountered in life up to this point. But wait...