I fooled you didn’t I? If you read the November Ah-Man Newsletter, I bet you thought you’d read a blog post about Trust and how it relates to Faith, Hope, and Belief.
Don’t worry, you will. But first I want to explain that each of us perceives the Truths I speak of differently, depending on where we are on our individual Spiritual Journeys. And like a book you’ve read before, when you read it again something will pop out that you didn’t notice before, or it will come across in a different way or have a different meaning. Truth acts in a similar way; it will look different to you at different times of your life, depending on where you are at spiritually.
So let’s move on to Hope. The Wikipedia definition of hope is:
Hope is the emotional state which promotes the belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one's life. It is the "feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best" or the act of "look[ing] forward to with desire and reasonable confidence" or "feel[ing] that something desired may happen". Other definitions are "to cherish a desire with anticipation"; "to desire with expectation of obtainment"; or "to expect with confidence". In the English language the word can be used as either a noun or a verb, although hope as a concept has a similar meaning in either use.
So when I speak of Hope, I am referring to the first two sentences of the definition. I am talking about hope as it relates to something that we want or the desire for something to become different.
Hope is not Faith, nor is it Belief. It is simply something we desire. It is not part of the foundation upon which we build our lives.
Why? Because Hope is great to have, but it is not essential.
But it is essential to have Trust in Truth, Belief and Faith. When you have those three, which are the cornerstones and keystones to the Arch of life that you will journey through, Hope will be there, as well as Acceptance and Forgiveness. But without the cornerstones (Belief and Faith) upon which you build your values, and Trust/Truth, which is the Keystone that holds it all together, all of your values, self-esteem and spirituality will crumble.
So don’t build on a shaky foundation. Hope is nice, but it is not something to build on. Be sure you build on solid stone. Trust in Absolute Truth, as well as your Belief and Faith.
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