Five Stepping Stones to Move Hope into Action
Hope is essential when walking through loss and adversity and trying to find yourself.
If you missed last week’s article entitled Three Vital Elements that Nurture Hope While Grieving, check it our here.
Five Stepping Stones to Move Hope into Action
Included with the three vital elements that nurture hope (having a goal, a pathway, and agency) are five stepping stones. These are attitudes and actions that carry hope along.
Stepping Stone #1: Embrace pain
It sounds counter-intuitive but the pathway to future happiness after a loss is to be with your pain. Don’t push it away but hold it, validate it, and bit by bit, process it.
Bertrand Russell said, “Extreme hopes are born of extreme misery.” Pain and loss can be the birth place for renewed hope and deeper change.
Stepping Stone #2: Start walking
You don’t have to move fast or far. It’s all about getting up, as hard as that is, and taking those first few baby steps.
The smallest act of kindness done to you or done by yourself to yourself can clear a path to walk and can lead to a hopeful outcome.
Stepping Stone #3: Move towards the light
At the beginning of the grief journey, the light can be extremely dim or non-existent at all. Regardless of the amount of light you see, move towards the little bit there is and more will come.
The quickest way for anyone to reach the sun and the light of day is not to run west, chasing after the setting sun, but to head east, plunging into the darkness until one comes to the sunrise.
— Gerald L. Sittser A Grace Disguised
Stepping Stone #4: Do things for others
Hope gets its footing when you help others, forgive those who have hurt you, say thanks, and threat others in the same way you want to be treated.
The golden rule is found in some form in many of the world’s religions and has proven to be very solid advice for living and hopeful life. The version I know says,
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. — Jesus
Stepping Stone #5: Exercise the little bit of faith you have
When you use the faith and belief you do have, what little you have grows a little bit stronger. The word “hope” is derived from the shorter word “hop,” which can lead to “leap.”
To hope means to take a playful leap into the future — to dare to spring from firm ground—to play trustingly—to invest energy, laughter. And one good leap encourages another — on then with the dance. — Joan M. Erikson
Reflection Questions
Which of these five stepping stones resonates with you today?
What does taking the next step with hope look like for you?
