Hope is Fierce!

Hope is Fierce

Rev. Dr. Michelle Wadleigh

Metaphysicians, and Ernest Holmes in particular, have little respect and even some disdain for the idea of hope. It is labeled a weak effort to transform one’s life. I beg to differ.

Hope opens doors and keeps them open until we find our strength and faith. There is a metaphor I use as a teacher that refers to the days of door-to-door salesmen. It was not unusual for door-to-door salesmen to have many doors slammed in their faces throughout their day. But the salesman who was willing to put their foot in the door to keep it open bought themselves a little more time for the customer to hear his plea and to make a sale. Hope is that!

There were times in my life where all I had was hope, and I know I am not alone in that. At times life can feel dismal and scary. When we are in that place, everything seems so dark that we struggle to see actionable and logical steps to take. When in the dark, that sense of loss is crippling. It is a big ask to expect the untrained individual to rise through the deepest and most crippling sense of despair to claim and declare their wholeness. Not impossible, but hard.

Yes, we know it might be the smart and right thing as metaphysicians, but is it the kind thing to expect that huge jump from the dark to the light. No, it is not, and it leaves people feeling like failures, which can prompt them to go deeper into despair and depression. That expectation is unreal for many.

BUT, help one to identify hope, the kind of hope that hides inside of despair and depression, and you will have offered them a lifeline. That tiny glimmer of hope-light keeps one looking and, if one is looking, that indicates the possibility of something working out.

Is faith more potent than hopeful? Totally. Is knowing your truth greater than just wanting and wishing? Absolutely. But, if in this moment, all you have is that tiny little glimmer of light, grab it, hold on to it, and don’t let go.

Thirty years ago, with eyes swollen from crying and dealing with the loss of a relationship and a deep sense of despair, I laid upon the sofa in my home with my inner eye darting around looking for something, and it was then in that moment I was reminded by Spirit that I was worth saving. I believed that voice and followed a long, hard, crooked, and painful path that eventually led me back to my wholeness. My life is the result of that glimmer of hope. No one can convince me otherwise. So if that is all you have at this moment, grab it, breathe life into it, and it will bring you to higher ground.