For some people, traumatic experiences as children robbed us of hope. (Please remember that different people react to trauma in different ways; there’s no right or wrong way.) As we consider the story of the Good Samaritan as survivors, ask yourself whether hope was stolen from you. If so, know that this is not your fault. You have not failed as a Christian because you don’t have much hope.               

My definition of hope is “a feeling that God will keep God’s promises.” This is different from hoping for a sunny day tomorrow or hoping that my team will win the Superbowl. Godly hope is a confidence and a feeling that our Lord is actually looking out for us, that the spiritual promises found in Scripture are actually true for us too. If we don’t feel this hope, let’s ask God for it and then carry on in faith until we feel better.

I want you to know that for more than 60 years of my life I hardly had any hope, due to early and ongoing abuse. This has slowly been changing, and I’m grateful. I want you to know that you aren’t alone.

There’s lots more to say about this; please email me if you have questions or comments. I’d love to hear from you. Mary.Brown@SilenceBrokenNow.org.

Photo by Everett Bartels on Unsplash.com.