THE GIFT –
AND NECESSITY –
OF HOPE
THE GIFT –
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When it comes to emotions, hope is unique: It is a positive emotion that occurs in the midst of uncertain or difficult times. When events take a favorable turn, it is experienced as hopefulness, that sudden buoying of the chest we feel when what we long for might actually occur.
Vincent McNabb (1868-1943), an Irish Dominican priest and scholar, described hope as "some extraordinary spiritual grace that God gives us to control our fears, not to oust them."
This hope – or hoping – is less a feeling and more a willful determination to remain engaged with our desired outcome despite a low probability of that outcome occurring. Hoping sidles up right beside fear and anxiety and wards off despair.
Hoping is hard work; it is not just believing that everything will be OK. But hoping is easier when done alongside other people. This is especially true when hoping for solutions to immense problems such as climate change and other social justice issues. For example, my research has shown that being involved in formal religious institutions, such as attending worship services, is a stronger predictor of hoping for such solutions than engaging in private religious practices such as meditating or listening to religious podcasts.
Engaging with others provides opportunities to imagine the world we want to live in. Conversations reveal ideas not previously considered that can be implemented. Social support keeps us engaged when justice seems far away. And reminders that God is in control (really, he is!) can help us keep our earthly hopes in perspective.
Hope is a gift that enables us to endure adversity while striving to improve the lives of others. It is also a necessary tool, providing just enough light in the darkness for us to see a way forward.
Professor of Psychology Patricia Bruininks, Ph.D., specializes in areas including the difference between hope and optimism; the experience of hope over time; the psychology of poverty; and the psychology of consumerism.
This story appears in the spring 2025 issue of Whitworth Today magazine.