Hope is one open door away

Sometimes hope is hard to come by…

I read an article in the USA Today yesterday about the consumer confidence index. Basically it states that the index holds what may be the most significant signal of the US descending deeper into recession or moving up.

The index moved down for the month of June, and according to the article much of how you feel about the economy comes from your income level. Those who make $100,000 or more yearly feel better about the economic outlook of the country than those earning less than $50,000 per year.

No surprise really, if you don’t have a lot of income it’s tough to feel hopeful for the future of the economy – both for your family and the nation. When things are down and have been down for a while it can be hard to have hope.

…so you have to look somewhere else.

After an encouraging winter and spring, there seems to be a general malaise over the country. You can see it in recent political wrangling, the general outlook of the economy, and in craziness like the Casey Anthony trial or the Kansas City Royals.

So you have to find hope somewhere else. Personally I am finding hope in my Christian faith, my wife, my kids, my family, writing, reading, and moving forward.

I think that’s the point though, you can trust in the economy or President (whoever he or she is) to bring you hope. It will fail you. Part of our story is to find things to truly hope in, and learning to move forward when we put our hope in things that fail us.

If you ask me, there is reason to hope. I feel it for The Collective. I feel it for my marriage. I feel it for my family. There is a reason as the dictionary says, “look forward to with desire and reasonable confidence.” Hope is just one open door away.