This week someone told me that we have a great need for hope right now. And we do, don’t we? Pure, simple hope.  The Lord once said to me – in response to my complaints – “The hope you bought was pulled off of a shelf, pre-packaged. It was someone’s descriptions, dreams, mantras, beliefs about what is good and desirable and what to look forward to in the future.” He informed me that this hope would not satisfy me, that it was not mine. That’s true.

Rather, we must find our hope from within. Sometimes that hope is born out of pain, out of grief, out of letting life cut into the most tender flesh of your heart. Hope starts with owning your hurt, feeling it and naming it. If you don’t first own and name it, then you will carry it with you and it will snuff out hope, the hope that is yours. The hope that is true. The hope that is you.

Find the seed of greatness within you. It may be covered over by hurt and disappointment, but it whispers to you. It is treasure waiting to be seen by you. Cultivate fertile and true soil where it can grow. Nourish it. Water it, and let your spirit soar as the seedling matures, grows, and becomes the dream you have longed for.

In spite of the many challenges of 2021, I am hopeful. I encourage you to be hopeful as well. Here’s to prayers and wishes for a beautiful and fulfilling new year, filled with thanksgiving and with gratitude. Here’s to new hope – homegrown, full and true. Hope that is not pre-packaged, cannot be snuffed out, and that emanates from the very core of our beautiful beings.