Let Hope Teach You Patience

Author:  Yolanda J. Ash

Hope can sustain us through trails of faith, extreme tragedy, seemingly insurmountable tribulation and those many difficulties that may otherwise overwhelm us. Hope is a belief in the positive outcome of events in our lives. The expectation of a “wish” being fulfilled arising from our will, not our passions (for it is our passions which usually contribute to our demise). Unadulterated hope, however, is an anchor of the Soul.

Without hope, there is no faith. Faith gives us the ability to believe in those things yet revealed. In having faith, we develop patience. Patience affords us fortitude and strength of character. Patience stills the heart, quiets the mind, and balances the Spirit. A balanced spirit experiences the profound reality of peace. When examined from a spiritual context, hope connotes spiritual truth. Truth can only be realized when there is nothing to distract from it. I guess this is why hope is revered as one of the virtues and spiritual gifts (faith, hope, and charity), from the Creator.

Wo(man)kind has, since the beginning of time, attempted to explain away the evils and despairs of our world. Countless mythological renderings, fairytales, fantasies and cultural conjecture have been created to assist us in making sense of all the evils which pervade our world. Because evil cannot exist on its own and must utilize the will and motives of wo(man)kind, we attempt to understand why it is that we refuse to fully partake of Paradise.

Folklore ascertains that from Pandora’s box all the evils of the world were reputedly released. Initially, her curiosity caused her to release all the evils of the world…except one. Hope. Without hope, to accompany all of wo(man)kind’s evils, humanity was filled with despair. It was a great relief when Pandora released hope too. As the story is told, hope weakly left Pandora’s box, but its effects on the world were far more potent than any evil in the box.

Hope can be passive in the sense of a child’s innocent wish for a new puppy or new toy, or hope can be active, as a well thought out plan or idea to help (or harm) the world. As an adolescent and connoisseur of mythology, I did not quite understand how hope could be an evil. Now, as an adult, I fully understand that it is not hope itself which is evil, but the desire (passion) behind that hope. Active hope, can, even against popular belief, coupled with persistence, and tenacity of personal action, execute any plan or idea fathomable. If you wish hard enough and long enough for something, you will inexorably invent the means AND, the end to accomplish that which you wish and hope for.

Hope permeates our everyday lives and is present in countless aspects of popular culture. We huemans have searched for wide ranges of Utopia in the past, as we do, now in the present, and inevitably, we will continue to do so, in the future. The spiritual grace which develops from having hope lends itself to positive thinking, although the two are not one in the same. Grace is spiritual, optimism is psychological. Either way, they are both endearing personal qualities to possess. However, one cannot exist without the other. If we do not have grace, (the infinite love, mercy, favor, and goodwill shown to wo(man)kind by the Creator, we cannot truly think nor truly operate, truly positively.

Many anthropologists have explored the effects of adverse social conditions on an individual’s belief and hope in changing social circumstances and her/his own life. Daily, there are events and occurrences which prove that when people hold onto hope and exercise faith in personal action, change does happen! Not just for themselves, but for society in general. With hope, WE CAN EFFECT CHANGE WHICH AFFECTS THE LIVES OF EVERYONE.

In completing this book, my sincerest hope and deepest desire is that something (anything) I have said within these few pages has touched and affected you in some purposeful way. In my own life, I have had to desperately hold onto my faith and not give up hope on my dreams and aspirations. In doing so, I have learned to have patience with myself, but most importantly, I have learned to have patience in the Creator and what the Creator has worked out explicitly for me in this profound and wondrous Universe. Through my faith (and the support and encouragement of those who love me), I have learned to not give up nor give in to any false belief (or non-belief) in myself.

In penning the words within the pages of this book, I hope to in some way instill hope in you. No matter what may (or may not) be manifesting in your life at this particular moment, I want you to remain faithful in the promise of tomorrow. If you have faith in your future, then, tomorrow will always come. And if tomorrow can unfold, so too can your dreams and wishes…if, and only if, you do not lose hope. If you do not lose hope, you will develop patience that will give you the strength to carry on…no matter what.

Funny thought. Although I have had a few “boyfriends” (and they truly were b-o-y-s), in my life, I can honestly say that there have only been two that I have really loved. One was a habitual cheat and a liar, with an “ex” girlfriend named Faith; the other had too much of an affinity for “spirits”, with an “ex” girlfriend named Grace. Over the course of my life, I have had experiences which have strengthened my faith. In my faith being strengthened, I have developed my grace…my capacity to tolerate, accommodate, and forgive people. In learning to tolerate, accommodate and forgive others, I have learned to tolerate, accommodate, and to forgive myself. In forgiving myself (especially for temporarily giving up on myself), I have found a renewed commitment to my dreams.

Recently my Mother found a journal I have carried with me since I was 16 years old. In it, I have outlined many things I wish for my life. I have specific instructions to myself on the places I want to visit, the “famous” people I want to meet, the spiritual, personal, financial and professional goals I want to accomplish, the type of home I want to live in, the model car I want to drive, AND, the kind of m-a-n I want to share my life with me. I guess, my dreams and aspirations in life had become a little dusty and temporarily discarded, boxed up and forgotten about, just like my journal. Thank goodness the Creator led my Mother to find my journal and to chastise me for not remaining true and steadfast to my dreams. Being the wonderful Angel that she is in my life, she reminded me to never give up nor give in to a belief of “failure” in life. Neither should you! In revisiting my dreams I have learned that although I may have had digressions, detours and an occasional need for assistance in detangling myself from the snares I have found myself in, because I have not given up, I have yet to be defeated.

The birth of my daughter (although the circumstances surrounding her birth were not quite as I had envisioned for my life), has recharged my Soul. Sure, I still have some apprehensions and concerns as to how I will accomplish the seemingly bigger than life dreams I have always had for myself, but now, with renewed faith, focused hope and determined patience, I have every intention of taking names and kicking some literary and journalistic butt!

Let Hope Teach You Patience. Let the Creator provide you with everything else!

Peace, Love and Prosperity.

Love: Yolanda J. Ash

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