In my last post, I discussed the choice we have to make (click here to read the post). Will we buy into the lie of hopelessness that feeds the brokenness around us, or will we choose to buy into real hope that could help us write a new story? The lie tries to convince us that we are playing a zero-sum game in which there are only loser and winners. Conversely, the truth of hope leads to an abundance mindset, which says there is enough for everyone to win. This doesn’t mean we never disagree but rather see each other as fellow human beings, created with potential, and treat each other accordingly. Instead of believing we need to get “what’s ours” at the detriment of others, we choose to to maximize the God-given potential around us.

What would it look like to live this way and what would the impact be?

In a recent post (Small Ripples Make a Big Difference), I discussed the concept of a ripple effect. Specifically, I focused on the ripples themselves and the difference intentional, daily choices make. Through these “small” actions, we have the ability to create ripples that can have a big impact. This is a bit of the picture I get when I think of living through the lens of real hope.

Living with an abundance mindset is not a singular event. It often starts that way but becomes a daily opportunity to decide how you will approach the world and the people who live in it. This is complicated by the constant flow of information that we experience in today’s world. The truth is there is a lot of evidence to suggest the situation is hopeless. This is why you will not drift into a life defined by real hope. Instead, you will have to decide that, despite the hopelessness I see around me, there is still hope for a new story.

I have found that the ability to make this choice often starts with a little self-examination. What do I really believe about others, especially those who are not like me? How do I really see the world? Do I really desire the best for others, especially those who are different from me? Digging deep and being honest about where you stand on questions like these is the beginning of change. Instead of willing yourself to be different through behavior modification, being honest about your thoughts and feelings allows for real heart change to begin.

So, are you ready? Are you ready to start living a life defined by real hope? To use an abundance mindset as the filter for the way you treat others and approach conflict? To intentionally make choices each day that reinforce the God-given potential you see in the people around you and the world in which they live? To make a daily ripple that touches someone else’s life and encourages them to do the same?

Maybe imagine yourself on the other side of the interaction. Imagine living in a world in which every person you interacted with had the desire to maximize your God-given potential. Instead of defining you by your worst moments, they saw you for who you could be and the beautiful story that could be written from your life. How do you think that would make you feel? Would it change the way you live and see the world? I would imagine the answer is yes.

Now, I know that is not our experienced reality and should not be our expectation. However, what if you decided to see each day as an opportunity to help someone else experience life in that way? How much richer would your life be? Might you find more purpose and fulfillment as you go throughout your day?

Now, imagine a world full of people living this way.

This might be hard to picture, but it is not my idea. In fact, it was the way Jesus called his followers to live. Sadly, we, as Christians, often get this wrong, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. Wherever you stand on Jesus, it would be hard to to argue with the results when Christians have gotten it right. Just look at the early church and their willingness to care for the sick, outcasts, and broken. It created a revolution that is still impacting our world today.

Why did Jesus call his followers to live that way? Because that is how he lived. Despite the brokenness around him, he saw people as created on purpose and for a purpose by a God who loves them. This is still true today. In the end, my hope flows out of the hope I have found in Jesus. I am a broken person, but because of the hope Jesus has for me, that is not the end of my story. In case no one has told you, the same is true of you. Jesus sees you as worthy of love and full of God-given potential, no matter who you are or what you have done.

When I think of a world full of people living through the lens of real hope, I picture a river bringing life-producing water to every place it touches. As more people experience real hope, they become catalysts for this river of life to advance forward. As it advances, people and places once thought to be hopeless become full life, realizing their God-given potential. Instead of playing a zero-sum game, people begin to see the abundance available, believing we all win when we all win. Wouldn’t you want to live in that kind of word? I certainly would.

“But I am only one person,” you might say. This is true, but it has to start somewhere. If we allow our limitations stop us, we are right back to buying into the lie of hopelessness. If we instead choose to lean into the truth of real hope, we become one more catalyst for life-producing water that can change the world.

The choice is ours.

James Belt

​​Click here​ for more resources to help you bring hope to others!