You can have hope regardless of circumstances. People in great need have felt hope all kinds of crises. It was noted of those in Nazi concentration camps of WWII that those who gave up hope were soon dead while others who held on, in hope, made it to end of their trials. So, how to have hope?

1. Determination – set your mind on relief you need. Reach for it, live every hour for it. When things are sickeningly bad, keep this view in front of you and pray steadfastly for endurance. Life is not a sprint – it’s a long distance marathon. As long as you keep going you are never beaten. Life may change dramatically but your mind can keep your body propelled toward final goal. “Endeavor to persevere,” is a favorite saying of mine.

2. Expectation – hope brings expectation; without it you can never fully engage hope. You must expect to achieve your goal. I’ve never known a presidential candidate who didn’t hold onto expectation of victory. There is no sense of purpose with expectation.

3. Renewal – renew your mind and spirit as often as possible. We all need to feed our mind, heart and spirit with wholesomeness just as we need to fill our bodies with wholesome food. Too much TV, news, straining for “rat race,” causes spirit pollution. Talking with God on a regular basis helps to calm and renew your spirit.

Even as 'Believers' we tend to focus our attention on big grandiose super events, larger than life images that surround our everyday lives...but there is always more to life than meets eye. The indirect challenge is to find more than meets eye moments and it is usually found in little things of life. These so called little things of life that would normally be over looked much too quickly; and unfortunately in so doing, miss them altogether. Missing these little things of life to point of also missing blessing en-captured therewith.

I had recently witnessed an unassuming gesture of a young man removing an insignificant spider with a cup and paper towel to convey its release outside living quarters it had invaded. Seeing this small act of thoughtful kindness toward another living creature even as small as a spider; provoked my spirit in response. If choice had been left to me in same situation, I know my first natural instinct to squash would have compelled me to immediately eliminate such an ugly creepy thing and mindlessly so without a second thought. But that little act of preservation instead of elimination, toward such a small insignificant creature, performed by a young man at least ten times my own strength and how much more so than that of spiders; humbled me. To witness his regard of life, even toward one of life's smallest forms, moved upon my spirit in a large way.

Why should I marvel at such a little thing in life? Because I saw hand of YaHWeH (God) extended beyond hand of man. A small moment with a small wonder to behold, but a life changing force to partake of. There was no exchange of words, no lectures, or even mental judgments. Absolutely nothing unusual in reality of that particular moment in life, except I saw it! It then touched my spirit and impacted my life with each passing day with a renewed sense of holy value for life. Thus connecting a greater value of life force in all little things of life.