How Full Is Your Hope Tank?

Posted May 31, 2022 by Maureen Metcalf

Categories: Featured, Maureen, Sister Post

The news blasts daily about high gas prices. When our gas runs low, we have no choice but to pay whatever the price and fill the tank. More recently, the heartache of two mass shootings has put gas prices in the rearview and reminds us of the evil and brokenness in our world. Life…so beautiful yet not without hardship and heartache. We may not know everyone’s story so may assume our struggle is ours alone or we may fixate on others’ perceived perfect lives and lose sight of the beauty within our own.

Highs and Lows

How about hope? After a long, drawn out winter and the state of our world, our hope tank can start to feel depleted. How do you hang onto hope in the highs and lows?

 As a child, unless I was in my make-believe land creating skits and entertainment or singing with my sisters, I did not have a vision for more or what could be. Looking back, our family was in survival mode whether we knew it then or not. Not that everything was bad all the time. We simply were not healthy and whole and that left us merely existing and not thriving in the fullness of who and what purpose God created us for.

Purpose and hope would come years later and, in many ways, still is and that is okay because it is not about arriving at the destination but the process and journey of growth along the way that sparks renewed hope.

Are you in survival mode? Do you feel stagnant? Unsure of your purpose or even how to look beyond today? Do you know that it is okay to take one day at a time without regret of yesterday or fear for tomorrow?

Spring is the bridge between winter and summer and in that transition are mixed emotions. We wait in anticipation for the dark, frosty winter to pass. When spring begins to emerge, birds begin to chirp, and the sun shines a bit differently, our spirit is renewed, and our hope tank begins to fill.

The sun shining in the early morning stirs an upbeat spirit. I do not need added motivation. The dreary, cold, days I require self-talk to remind myself that if I am productive, it will be that much better when the sun shines again…and yes, there are the dreary days I give myself permission to simply be still.

On the dreary days, hard days, and disappointing days, hope reminds us that a new day is coming. Hope grounds me with the reminder to take care of today and let the rest come. What I have not said is that this is not an easy task. It requires practice.

When you feel depleted it is hard to remember what tools can help fill your hope tank. Make a list and have it visible to remind you of the different steps to fill your hope tank.

Steps to Refill Your Hope Tank

Steps I work to refill my hope tank:

1.     Pray, read, listen to a podcast…do something that will offer a hope mindset.

2.     Plan with our loved ones to be together.

3.     Jot down what I can control, do what I can, and let the rest go.

4.     Do not take personally issues beyond your control.

5.     Listen to music.

6.     Stop viewing social media pages that perpetuate doom and gloom.

7.     Ask: Is what I do now going to bring me peace?

8.     Eliminate things in my schedule that cause me to overextend myself.

9.     Serve when I least feel like it.

10.  Self-care: breathe, exercise, and hydrate.

Rest in the renewal that hope brings. My prayer is we can be prudent and practical in assessing the areas in our life that impact our family, community, and country. Most of all, my prayer is that you and I sow seed where we are planted and that we refuse to allow apathy or a pessimistic mindset consume us. May the light of Christ shine even brighter on the darkest days, and may you be a willing helper igniting hope in whatever capacity you are able.

I hope this post helps you to refocus, recharge, and feel renewed, allowing hope to re-ignite within you. Spread hope. Please share this post if it resonates with you. Be a hope giver. Help fill another’s hope tank.