HOPE MONTH: DAY 23: “We should ask God to increase our hope when it is small, awaken it when it is dormant, confirm it when it is wavering, strengthen it when it is weak, and raise it up when it is overthrown.” ― John Calvin
I like this idea…for a prayer. I have never had my hope overthrown. Not sure what that would be. I have a feeling it is like hoping for a million dollars; I am setting expectations.
I don’t hope or pray for specifics. Step 11 covers that so beautifully for me. I don’t pray like there is a Santa Claus in the sky that will grant my wishes. That is selfish and self-serving. I don’t know what is supposed to happen in this Universe or in my life, and especially not in the life of others.
Hope is not that narrow. It is the very wide idea that there is something greater than me and that there is a larger purpose for the spinning of this blue marble than what my feeble Ego can conceive of. That there MIGHT be an entity or combination of energy out there somewhere that wants good for me, even when I cannot imagine what that would be like.
I truly have experienced, in both myself and others around me, the tendency to hope for too limited a life. If we want only money, property and the like, we are limiting our good to a very narrow slice of life. I want the whole cake, dammit! And so I do not pray for or hope for a limited situation to resolve in my favor or for life to give me a new car.
That is too narrow. I want it all! I truly want to live as if I am God’s favorite kid? What does that mean and what does that look like? I do not know. I DO know that every time I manifest outcomes better than what I imagined, it is because of miraculous intervention, Divine will, not mine. I can only imagine limited outcomes. I am a limited human.
So, I believe in something SO great that it will consistently create in my life and in my experience healing and wonders that are way beyond my limits of the definition of good. That is powerful! I had about 22 of these experiences yesterday alone. Wonderful!! I was in the flow and letting go of my need to direct the current, which is always the very best outcome, and far exceeds my expectations. I have to let those go and stop living into such a narrow vision of what can and will happen. Isn’t that wonderful? I sure think so!
Dolphin Hug 