“To hope under the most extreme circumstances is an act of defiance..."

“To hope under the most extreme circumstances is an act of defiance that permits a person to live his life on his own terms. It is part of the human spirit to endure and give a miracle a chance to happen.” 
― Jerome Groopman

I sit here today, trying to recoup from a few intense, emotional days surrounding the graduation of our youngest son and looking ahead to a week full of meetings and doctors visits, my mind wandered. It wandered to the idea of Hope. Heaven knows, with the launch of the foundation barely a month past, it seems like it's all we've talked about - this Hope thing.

Linda and I have heard whispers and Facebook posts alluding to "too much hope" and similar sentiments. We've even heard it said that we're cheapening the word 'Hope' to little more than a Hallmark greeting by using it so much and so prominently.

When I ask myself: "Is there such a thing as too much hope?", no matter how hard I try to rationalize it, I still come up with same answer. Nope. Now, I'm not talking about false Hope or even living in a state of denial. I'm talking about honest, heartfelt hope that comes from an unshakeable faith that good things will happen no matter what my circumstance today. 

Webster's defines hope as: "to expect with confidence:trust". Trust. Hmmm...so if I 'hope', I 'trust'.  The quote that begins this post says Hope is an act of defiance. I believe that's true. To live in a state of constant hopefulness isn't any easier than trusting people all the time. Hope, like defiance, takes willpower and effort. It ain't easy.

The Bible (my favorite book) is full of references to hope, and many of those same verses speak of trusting God. But Christians don't have an exclusive on Hope or trust. Gandhi said: "I believe in trusting. Trust begets trust. Suspicion is foetid and only stinks. He who trusts has never yet lost in the world.” It's not a stretch to say Gandhi believed the he who hopes has never yet lost in the world, too.

Am I discounting those who forsake Hope for despair or those among us who have hoped but are just tired of the struggle? Absolutely not. There comes a time for every warrior to lay their shield down, and we honor that. What I'm simply trying to do here is the same thing The Hope-JG Foundation is intended to do. To encourage those who are tired and weary, no matter what your struggle, to take one more step when you think you've taken your last. 

Get defiant - your personal miracle may be tomorrow.


*BTW: Learned a new word today. The Gandhi quote uses the word 'foetid' which means "having a heavy, offensive smell"...huh.