The Power Of Hope.

As I have progressed through my life, there are some important lessons that I have learned out of the tragedies and disappointments that came my way. Perhaps the most challenging part of this process is accepting that the solution is rarely revealed to us during the process. The issues of life have a real way of beating us up, and leaving us disconnected from our hope.

Hope is not the type of wishful thinking we exercise whilst buying a lottery ticket. Hope by definition, is steadfast trust in the process. Hope is like the anchor on a ship or boat. Hope is attached to an immovable force, which holds fast regardless of the storms that rage around and upon us. The key to our hope, is found in the place it is anchored upon.

We can cast the anchor of our hope upon finances, relationships, organisations, careers, religion, health, possessions, intellect and many other things that may move in a storm. It only requires tragedy to befall us to reveal whether we have true hope.

I believe there are some real keys to learn during times of real "gut wrenching" hardship, that leaves us alone, powerless and without an anchor. Here are five key areas that we need to embrace in order to develop hope that empowers us.

1. Never bail out of the boat in a storm

Years ago, I was sailing out on the harbour as a novice sailor, with four other experienced sailors. The conditions changed dramatically and the wind changed from 15 to 40 knots in minutes. The helmsman made a call to head for harbour and we all took our positions. The call came to "come about" and some poor seamanship saw the yacht breach and I found my jacket and oilskins filling with sea water as my head and shoulders were under water. My initial response was to un-attach my safety harness and swim for the shore. The captain screamed at me "don't unhook." I heard him, but it didn’t make sense at the time as I was swallowing sea water and choking. With one change of sail, the boat came about and righted its self. We finally reached shore an hour or so later, wet, bedraggled and thankful we were alive.

I honestly believed I was safer on my own, than in the boat. Truth is, I wouldn’t be writing this, had I not gone against my initial instincts to survive. During the storms of life, don’t bail out of the boat.

Here are some things that happen to our minds during a storm:

a) We make irrational and often fatal decisions

b) We lose sight of the big picture

c) We think there is only us in the storm

d) We tend to go it alone