Get Your Hopes Up

Don’t get your hopes up. I am sure that you have heard someone say that to you or someone else. You may have said it to yourself or to a friend or family member. It is usually a well-meaning attempt to protect someone we care about. We fear that if they “get their hopes up” that they may feel a great deal of disappointment if the thing hoped for does not come to pass. We fear the same for ourselves.

Recently, I listened to an episode of “We Can Do Hard Things,” a bi-weekly podcast hosted by author, Glennon Doyle. Actress Gabrielle Union was the featured guest on November 16. She spoke authentically about the vulnerability of hope as she shared about her experiences with miscarriages and failed fertility treatments. With each of those experiences, her hope of becoming a mother was dashed and she felt the pain of the loss. She shared openly about how risky hope can be at times.

My friend Debra’s mother recently made her transition. For years, possibly decades, Debra hoped for a shift in their strained relationship. You see her mother was, to put it nicely, unkind and unloving toward Debra. She was abusive physically, mentally, and spiritually when Debra was a child and continued to be throughout her life. Even though Debra, with a great deal of soul recovery work, was able to process through her trauma and forgive her mother, even to the point of freeing herself from her influence, there remained a sliver of hope in her heart that her mother would finally “see the light,” express remorse for her actions, and make amends. That did not happen.

There may at times be some wisdom in saying to ourselves or others, “Don’t get your hopes up.” This is especially true if we are hoping that someone else will change. Yes, hope can be tricky and risky when it involves a specific outcome or another person.

While that is true, I am encouraging you to “Get Your Hopes Up.” Even more so, “Set Your Hopes High.” Hope in yourself. Hope in your capacity for love. Hope in your willingness to change. Hope in your ability to take inspired action to bring about the thing or situation hoped for. Hope in your commitment to realize the power within you. Hope in your dedication to awaken to the Christ that you are and live from that Truth. And hold that same hope for others.

Sure, in our humanness we feel the hurt of loss, the disappointment of unfulfilled desires, and the pain of unrealized dreams. Yet through it all we can call upon the inner strength of the indwelling Christ to renew our hope.

The prophet Isaiah tell us,

"Those who hope in the Lord shall renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not be faint.” – Isaiah 40:31

The “Lord” refers to the self-existent one – the Christ – the divine nature of each of us. The power of hope does not lie in another or any outer situation or circumstance. When we place our hope in the truth of our being, we can soar above the trials and tribulations of the world. We can persevere through any situation. We can walk this journey called life and not be depleted by it.

Nothing and no one can in any way diminish the power of the Divine that you are.

Gabrielle Union did not give up hope. While she did not give birth to her daughter, her dream of becoming a mother was realized through a surrogate. Hope made manifest!

Neither did Debra lose hope as demonstrated in one of her recent videos (here). Even though she and her mother did not heal their relationship on the Earth plane, Debra is able to see her mother as a beautiful expression of the Divine Love. In her human experience, her mother was unable or unwilling to realize that love. Now she knows the truth. Hope fulfilled!

Do not place your hope in the things of the world. The promise of hope lies within you.

Get Your Hopes Up! Set them high! Don’t let anyone tell you differently.

YOU are the hope!