By Sister Jacqueline Russell of Brahma Kumaris Centre for Spiritual Learning
HOPE – H is for healing, O for optimism, P for a peaceful attitude and E for the spiritual energy that influences our thoughts in all our actions.
Every thought we think not only affects ourselves, others around us, the atmosphere but it also affects our bodies.
When there is hope all the facets of my life start healing. When I adopt an optimistic attitude towards life then there is a feeling of acceptance.
Hope brings peace which also engenders a feeling of lovingness for all things, and this energy pervades everything.
My thoughts bring this hope to life, affect everything around me, my contacts, relationships, and the atmosphere.
Hope can be a verb that has to be practiced.
It can be cultivated through deliberate practice and it is only when I understand the need for this kind of true, inner, self-respect will I make the effort.
Difficulties will arise to test my resolve.
But an acceptance of the present situation as being ‘as it is’ and that it will pass, is a powerful stage to adopt in this world of challenges.
We can close the door on the past experience when we feel we have learned something from it. With hope we can look forward to the day ahead and to the future.
Furthermore, we often hear the phrase “make it simple” and it is helpful no doubt to think of focusing on small, simple and manageable steps with the positive attitude that inspires hope in what we are doing.
Making things simple is an art as well, and often requires faith to be willing to take a chance and keep moving forward without knowing the outcome.
These small steps of hopefulness also enable us to feel we are managing our lives and the circumstances that we face and we will feel fulfilled with positive achievement.
Our effort is in never allowing hopelessness to overcome our thoughts.
Finally, when we sit to meditate, or in prayer, with a feeling of peacefulness we can spread hope into the atmosphere for those who are close to us and for our world family.
