Catch Hope & Hold it, Share it, Multiply it!

Why is hope so important, and what happens when we speak it to others' hearts?

Hello, welcome to this week’s edition of Weekending Well! We’re talking about the power of sharing hope today! This is one of my favourite topics professionally, in my personal life and one that I love to observe in others - both when they gift hope and when they receive it.

Why is hope so important, and what happens when we speak it to others' hearts?

I’m Andrea Urquhart, host and founder of the Strengthen community here on Substack. If you’re new here, you’re very welcome. If you’re a regular returner, a warm welcome back to you too!

Hope and encouragement work closely together. They are forward focused but also lean into beliefs, past good experiences and an understanding of the values and character of people.

Hope speaks of life and joy to come; light at the end of a tunnel.

You may remember that a few weeks ago that I shared my Hope Collective journalling prompts at the end of the article on my journey to becoming a professional Positive Psychology & Emotion Coach. Here is is if you missed it:

Wellbeing Warriors - Is wellbeing meant to be a struggle? (Plus a free download & helpful links)

I explained that hope also fascinates other professionals and has been well researched. It’s strongly linked to creativity and wellbeing. It’s also something that some people describe as “contagious” - in the best of ways, of course!

There is something about speaking hope that does change the atmosphere in a room or conversation. Even if someone shoots you down with a cynical response, that hope still gets under their skin - their cynicism is responding to the light and life that you’ve been speaking.

The hope we speak does bring light and life. That’s why it’s so powerful, especially when it’s grounded in truth and beliefs. Remember that hope isn’t a wish, it is anchored in belief and trust.

We mustn’t forget too, that learning to speak hope to ourselves is also powerful. We know that our inner narrative, the way we talk to ourselves is powerful. The neuroplasticity of our brain means that we can change the narratives that we hold as inner beliefs. Our words and thoughts - especially those directed at our identity level narratives - have power.

This is why catching hope and learning to hold it in our heart is important.

So what do I mean by this? Recognising the spark of hope is something we can actively do. When we’re feeling discouraged or in a funk, our negative thoughts are often on a higher volume than those hopeful thoughts. It’s like they’re vibrating at a maximum disco beat, making us focus on the rhythm of “It’s not going well!” and “It’s all bad!” and that “Things can only get worse!” one.

Discouragement presses us down. But hope rises within us. It raises us up.

With the sound of discouragement restraining us and pushing our head lower, our thoughts lower and the negativity gets higher priority in our thought selection and our reactions to those.

Recognising the spark of hope is about lifting our head above the noise of negativity. Lifting our eyes and mind to a place of quiet and actively giving space for that spark of hope. Stilling our heart and pushing away the thoughts that hold us down. Seeking out the thoughts that carry peace, hope and encouragement and holding onto those.

What we meditate on, what we hold in our heart, what we repeat to ourselves, what we choose to believe and what we say do hold power over us. And as we hold onto hope and begin to speak even one simple phrase of hope into the negativity disco, that spark begins a powerful process.

Fanning the flame of hope takes courage. Courage to believe. Courage to speak out. But it’s also addictive - again, in the best possible way!

When we begin to experience the power of hope regularly in our lives, it becomes something we love to revisit, to share with others and that we hunger and thirst for. Hope is an expression of living water in our lives. So it makes sense that sharing it with others also brings light and life to them.

There are many versions of a popular meme about who you run alongside in life making the difference to how you experience life. From practical success to positive wellbeing, despite challenges, the right friendship family and professional network around us can carry a culture of hope.

Does your friendship family, professional network or church community carer a culture of hope - even when challenges are experienced?

For me, the point about becoming part of a circle of people who carry a culture of hope is that this is community spirit, it is friendship families, professional networks that embody the spirit of give and take in the best possible way. A community who rise together and raise each other up. People who encourage and speak hope to one another, who lend a hand and lift others up when they need it. There’s a mutuality that a culture of hope brings to relationships and communities.

So, let me ask you today: how readily do you switch off the noise around you and the negativity thunder that tries to pull your head, hearts and thoughts down? And are you cultivating a habit of lifting your head and tuning your intuition and inner ears to listen for the sound of hope? Those words of encouragement. That breath of life.

I pray that you’ve been encouraged today, to speak hope to your own heart and also to choose to be defined by hope. To be a person who speaks hope to hearts and into the rooms of relationships and networks that you inhabit in your community and friendship circles.

I can’t help but think Psalm 121:

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot slip—
    he who watches over you will not slumber;
⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The Lord watches over you—
    the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
⁶ the sun will not harm you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

⁷ The Lord will keep you from all harm—
    he will watch over your life;
⁸ the Lord will watch over your coming and going
    both now and forevermore.

Thank you so much for joining me here today! Before you go, let me introduce you to

Sarah McCarron

who published her first Substack article earlier this week. I know that some of my subscribers may already know her personally. Sarah is a Brit who moved to America fair few years ago now. She now lives in LA and shares part of her inspiring story in her first article. I’d love for you to check out her work, subscribe if it speaks to you and if you’re a Substacker then please do welcome her here!

November 1st 2024 marks the first anniversary of Strengthen here on Substack! More next week on that when I’ll be sharing a tweak to the free offering here and my heart to develop Strengthen as we move forward into 2025.

As always, some encouraging worship and Christian music tracks are linked below. Remember to catch hope in our heart and to speak it into the lives of others with love, compassion and encouragement. You are a light, you carry the living water and streams of life that others are thirsting for. Speak into the room and hearts where you have entrance this week - and watch the power of hope kindle into life.

Have a great week and I look forward to welcoming you again next time!