finding hope essay

Essays About Hope: Top 5 Examples Plus 5 Prompts

No matter what happens in life, we all have hopes and dreams. If you are writing essays about hope, you can start by reading our top examples and prompts.

Hope is said to be “the remedy for grief and despair.” It allows us to long for better days whenever we are feeling down. When we are hopeful, it is as if we are trying to wish or manifest for something to happen; we sincerely anticipate whatever we are hoping for.

Hope is an important feeling since it keeps us optimistic, but like all things, it is not good in excess. We often get lost in our hope and let it delude us into thinking the most unrealistic things. It is good to hope, but you should not allow it to get the best of you.

5 Top Essay Examples

1. a reflection of hope by shannon cohen, 2. my hopes & dreams by celia robinson, 3. hope: the forgotten virtue of our time. by paul j. wadell, 4. an ideal of hope by jonathan belle.

• 5. ​​Hope and Reality by Greg Arnold

1. What Is Hope?

2. what do you hope for your future, 3. what makes me hopeful, 4. feeling hopeless in life, 5. how to help others be more hopeful.

“Hope is a fighter. Hope may flicker or falter but doesn’t quit. Hope reminds us that we are Teflon tough, able to withstand the dings, scratches, and burns of life. Hope is the quintessential “hype-man.” Hope will have you raise the roof, jump up and down, and rock side to side believing that you are magic, your dreams are within reach, and your life is greater than your present circumstances. We All Need Hope.”

Intertwined with quotes about hope, Cohen’s essay describes the many roles that hope can play in our lives. With hope, we can learn from our mistakes and improve ourselves. It fuels us to achieve our goals, helps us keep persevering, and inspires us. We are also the products of our ancestors’ hopes and dreams. 

“As I have mentioned earlier, everyone wants to become successful in the future. I do also; I want to go University, yet I haven’t decided what for so far. I want to grow up and make my Parents proud, especially when my Dad’s up there watching over me. I want to be happy. But every step I take, has the potential of changing my entire path, where my life is leading. So I must live life to the full, no matter what. Hope is something everyone needs.”

Robinson reflects on what she is hopeful for, recalling her childhood fantasies of living an idyllic, magical life. She discusses her dreams of going to university and making her parents, specifically her deceased father, proud of her. She hopes to live life to the fullest and for a better world. In particular, she hopes to see the day when cancer is no longer as severe an issue as it is today. Hope is important and is something everyone should have. 

“Hope keeps us from being so immersed in the good things of this world that we forget who we really are, a people on the move, pilgrims who are called not to stay put but to move toward the feast. Most of all, hope prevents us from becoming so comfortable with the pleasures of life that the possibility of a journey never even occurs to us.”

Wadell writes about hope from a Christian point of view; however, his message speaks to everyone. He gives readers a brief history of hope as a virtue in Christianity, saying that hope should be directed towards God and his kingdom. Hope allows us to appreciate all that is good in the world while keeping us longing for more. To nurture our feelings of hope, Wadell says that we must practice gratitude and spread hope to others. 

“Hope is important because hope involves the will to get there, and different paths for you to take. Life can be difficult and that shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. Yet, hope allows you to keep going down different roads, to see things different, and to try and make things for your perfect ideal. This hold true, even when there seems like there isn’t a solution.”

In this essay, Bell writes about his interpretation of hope: it is universal and gives us the will to work for whatever we hope for, not just sitting around and waiting for it to happen. For our hopes to be fulfilled, we must also put in the work. Bell also writes that you can strengthen your sense of hope by surrounding yourself with positive people and planning your goals. We are also called to bring hope to others so we can be hopeful for a better future. 

5. ​​ Hope and Reality by Greg Arnold

“Don’t be pessimistic and you have to remember that most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all- Dale Carnegie. Finally, it is acceptable to spend some time in hope but don’t live in it, you need to live in reality which is the way in getting things into results.”

Arnold’s essay explains the importance of keeping our hopes grounded in reality, not too optimistic yet not negative as well. We cannot predict the future, but we can at least yearn for the better and strive to work for it to happen. He believes that we should stop being so pessimistic about the world and dream big, for the hopes of many can be accomplished with hard work and determination. 

5 Prompts for Essays About Hope

The definition of hope can differ from person to person, as our experiences shape our sense of hope. In your essay, you can write about what hope means to you. Then, briefly explain why you are hopeful and what you hope for if you wish. You can also check out these essays about jealousy .

We all have our hopes and dreams for our futures. Reflect on hope and share what you hope for in your future and why you hope for it. Perhaps you hope for a long and healthy life or something as simple as hoping for a good grade on your test. The scope can be as small as a few days or ten years, as long as you can share your thoughts clearly and descriptively. 

For your essay, you can write about what makes you hopeful. Describe a person, memory, idea, or whatever else you may choose, and explain why it makes you hopeful. Many things invoke hope, so make sure your essay reflects your personal opinion and includes anecdotes and memories. For example, you may have a relative that you are inspired by, and their success could make you hopeful for your own future.

The world is not perfect, and we all feel despondent and hopeless from time to time. Look back on time you could not bring yourself to hope for better. Discuss what led you to this situation and how you felt. This may be a sensitive topic to write about, so do not go too in-depth if you are not comfortable doing so.

If someone you know is feeling hopeless, chances are you would try to lift their spirits. Address your essay to people who feel hopeless and give tips on improving one’s mental health: they can be as simple as getting more sleep or being outdoors more. For an in-depth piece, cite psychological studies to support your tips.

Grammarly is one of our top grammar checkers. Find out why in this Grammarly review .

For help picking your next essay topic, check out our top essay topics about love .

Martin is an avid writer specializing in editing and proofreading. He also enjoys literary analysis and writing about food and travel.

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7 Reasons Why Finding Hope For The Future Is So Important

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What is hope?

Why is hope so important?

How can I find hope?

These are the questions we will attempt to answer in this article.

So let us begin.

Speak to an accredited and experienced therapist to help you find hope for the future if you’re struggling right now. You may want to try speaking to one via BetterHelp.com for quality care at its most convenient.

What Is Hope?

Of all the thoughts and notions a person can have, hope is probably closest to trust.

When you have hope, you are placing your trust in the potential for something positive to happen.

You are trusting that taking the right actions will make a positive outcome more likely than taking the wrong actions.

When you hope for a better future, you are placing trust in yourself to make good choices in life.

When you trust someone, you hope that they will act in a way that embodies that trust.

When you jump out of an airplane, you hope you land safely, and you trust in your parachute.

The very act of carrying on and living your life is, by itself, a display of hope. It is the trust you have that when you go to bed at night, you will wake up to a new day that is filled with possibility.

What Hope Is Not

Look in a dictionary and you’ll see definitions for hope that include words such as desire, anticipation, and expectation.

But these are not really what hope is about.

The problem with desire, anticipation, and expectation is that when a particular thing is not forthcoming, they can disappear, leaving a void into which negative thoughts and feelings enter.

Just think of a child opening his birthday presents. He desires, anticipates, and expects a particular thing – a toy or bike, for instance.

When this thing is not forthcoming, what does he do? He gets upset. He has a tantrum. He is not grateful for the presents he did get.

But hope is not tied to a particular outcome.

Hope does not depend on certainty. Hope is merely the belief that there is the potential for something good to happen.

That something good is not anything specific. It is merely the idea of a positive outcome.

As Desmond Tutu once said:

Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.

The light is not a particular thing. The light is just something good – the potential for something good.

Why Is Hope So Important?

Now that we know what hope is and what it is not, why does it matter so much?

What are the reasons to have hope in life?

1. Hope is a healer.

We all face difficult times and we all get hurt. It’s inevitable.

But hope helps us to see that there are many positive possibilities ahead of us.

Hope whispers, “Things will get better.”

Hope puts the hurt and pain into perspective and reminds us that things are forever changing.

When we are at our lowest point, it is hope that lifts our head and shows us a path back toward something good.

Remember, hope is akin to trust, and when your general feelings are negative, you must trust that they will pass.

2. Hope shows us how to act.

Though hope is not tied to a particular outcome, it can still be a guiding force in our lives.

When we have hope, we are more likely to see the opportunities that come our way.

When we have hope, we are more likely to choose a path that leads to something positive.

When we have hope, we are more likely to act in a way that promotes a peaceful and joyful life.

Hope is a bit like an unseen compass that points us in the direction of something beneficial to our future.

3. Hope is a motivator.

Hope is a source of energy. It helps us to see something better up ahead and to put one foot in front of the other to move forward.

When we feel hopeful for the future, we wake up in the morning ready to embrace the day.

We are more prepared to work hard, to strive, to be willing to tackle and overcome the obstacles that we face .

Hope keeps us going when we hit a brick wall. It reminds us of why we are pursuing this path and of the potential for something good to come of it.

Hope allows us to answer Y-E-S! when life asks whether we’ve got what it takes.

4. Hope encourages self-belief.

Hope not only helps you to believe that something better is coming, it gives you the belief that you are the person who can make that something better come true.

When all we do is desire something to happen, we do not empower ourselves to try to make it happen.

But when we hope for something better, we tell ourselves that we have the power within us to change our direction of travel.

William Faulkner summed this up nicely when he said:

You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore.

If all you do is wish for new horizons, you are unlikely to see them.

It is hope that gives us the self-belief (or courage as Faulkner put it) to step onto a boat, cast off from the shore, and set sail, even if we do not yet know our destination.

5. Hope combats negative thoughts.

It is difficult to have negative thoughts and be hopeful at the same time.

Hope allows us to see light at the end of the tunnel and this light acts as a challenge to any unwanted thoughts.

When you think, “I can’t do this,” hope reminds you how capable you are.

When you think, “this is a disaster,” hope reminds you that things will improve.

When you think, “I hate my life,” hope reminds you that the future is full of potential.

Whilst hope can’t eradicate all negative thoughts immediately, the more we can nurture a feeling of hope, the less those thoughts will pop into our heads.

6. Hope brings inner peace.

As with negative thoughts, hope can help ease negative feelings too.

Hope is the opposite of despair.

Whereas despair creates a breeding ground for self-loathing, inaction, and depression, hope allows joy, enthusiasm, and a quiet contentment to grow.

Even whilst a challenging situation remains, hope can transform our inner landscape into one that is less affected by the outside environment.

7. Hope is contagious.

People want to feel hopeful. They really do.

They want to believe – to trust – that the future is bright.

Which is why they are so willing and able to absorb the hope of others.

Hope spreads quickly. When the possibility of a better future is put forward, people are ready to listen and believe.

And so, the last reason why hope is important is because the more hope we have, the more hope we will inspire in others.

How To Find Hope For The Future

Now that we’ve hopefully convinced you of the importance of hope, let’s turn our attention to some of the ways you can find it.

1. Recognize your power.

Believe it or not, every action you take has an effect on things.

Every action pushes you toward a particular outcome.

This is your power.

It is up to you to use this power in a way that is beneficial to your life.

Learn to recognize cause and effect in your life and be aware of the decisions you are making.

2. Ask what positive actions you can take.

Once you understand the power you have in life, it’s time to ask how you might influence things in a positive way.

Look for opportunities to take an action which increases the likelihood of a positive outcome occurring.

Don’t expect or desire any particular outcome – remember that these things are not hope.

Just try to act based upon your values and you should head in the right direction.

3. Connect with people who have faced similar circumstances.

Whatever you are going through right now that has left you lacking in hope, know that plenty of other people have been there too.

Try to find and connect to these people and allow them to both support you and guide you.

This might mean following personal blogs, finding online forums, or going to meetings in real life.

The key is to find a community – even if that only involves sitting quietly and reading or listening to others.

It makes it easier to find hope again when you know that you’re not alone.

4. Lean on those closest to you.

You might be doing a good job of hiding how you feel from your family and friends.

Or it might be written all over your face, body language, and actions.

Either way, these are people who love you and care for you. They will want to help you rediscover hope.

They may not be able to offer you the knowledge or guidance that comes from the communities discussed above, but they can still give you lots of time and energy to help you through this period in your life.

This support network can help you with the practical things and the emotional healing, so as difficult as it might be to admit that you’re struggling, trust that they will be there for you.

5. Speak to a professional.

Both the communities from point #3 and your more personal support network from point #4 will probably advise you to get help from a mental health professional.

Listen to this advice.

A professional has the expertise and experience to help you tackle the very specific thoughts, feelings, and challenges in your life.

They will be able to provide you with specific tools that you can use to change how you think and find hope once more.

As much as we’d like to say this article is all you need, we know that it is only the starting point of your journey.

BetterHelp.com is a website where you can connect with a therapist via phone, video, or instant message.

While you may try to work through this yourself, it may be a bigger issue than self-help can address. And if it is affecting your mental well-being, relationships, or life in general, it is a significant thing that needs to be resolved.

Too many people try to muddle through and do their best to overcome issues that they never really get to grips with. If it’s at all possible in your circumstances, therapy is 100% the best way forward.

Here’s that link again if you’d like to learn more about the service BetterHelp.com provide and the process of getting started.

6. Work on your self-esteem and self-worth.

People often feel despondent and without hope when they look in the mirror and don’t truly like the person they see staring back at them.

Part of the process of bringing hope back into your life is growing to like who you are and seeing the value you have as a person.

Again, a professional will help with this, but here is an article that might help you in the meantime: To Grow Your Self-Esteem Over Time, Do These 10 Small Things Regularly

7. Don’t expect answers to all of the questions.

Remember that hope is a show of trust in the likelihood of a positive outcome.

But it can’t predict the future.

If you struggle to find hope because you don’t know how everything will turn out, or even the steps you’re required to take, don’t worry.

You can’t know the answers to all of the questions.

You just have to trust that things will happen and that something good will come of it.

Sometimes you’ll know what to do and other times you’ll just have a feeling that something is right.

Go with that feeling – it is your intuition, which is strongly linked to hope.

8. Be a source of hope for others.

When you don’t know where to find hope, look for it in those who need your help.

Even when you are struggling, you have the power to bring hope to other people by giving your time and energy to their needs.

This might mean helping out at a community organization or performing acts of kindness and generosity to friends, neighbors, or strangers.

You’ll find that being a source of hope for others becomes a source of hope for you.

Make this something you do even when you regain your hope.

9. Rejoice in the little things that make life worth living.

When hope is missing, life can seem drained of all its color and vibrancy.

But you can combat this feeling and find your hope once more by recognizing the little things and brief moments of calm in your life.

Showing gratitude for those positive things that already exist in your life makes it easier to trust in the potential for even better things ahead.

If you’re struggling to think of such little things, check out this post: The Simple Things In Life: A List Of 50 Little Pleasures

To sum things up…

Hope is not just important, it is one of the most essential things in life.

Hope keeps us going. It reminds us that bad times cannot last. It spurs us on to greater things.

If you have lost hope, the challenges you face may seem insurmountable. Which is why it’s vital that you try to find hope again – even if it’s just a tiny slither to begin with.

Speaking to a professional should definitely be your first step, and we hope that the other points above will help you on your journey too.

Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul – and sings the tunes without the words – and never stops at all. – Emily Dickinson

It is a good idea to seek professional help from one of the therapists at BetterHelp.com as professional therapy can be highly effective in helping you to discover hope where now you see none.

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About The Author

Steve Phillips-Waller is the founder and editor of A Conscious Rethink. He has written extensively on the topics of life, relationships, and mental health for more than 8 years.

• Yale Divinity School

Reflections

You are here, theologies of hope.

This article is a shortened adaptation of a two-part “For the Life of the World” podcast on the theme of hope that YDS Professor Miroslav Volf posted in summer 2020, produced by the Yale Center for Faith & Culture. You can listen here to podcast Part 1 and Part 2 .

Fear, more than hope, is characteristic of our time. In the late 1960s, we were optimistic about the century’s hopes for the triumph of justice and something like universal peace, but that has given way to increasing pessimism. “No future” scenarios have become plausible to us. As I write in summer 2020, the coronavirus pandemic gives the dominant shape to our anxieties. But even before the pandemic, we feared more than we hoped. We feared and continue to fear falling behind as the gap widens between the ultra-rich and the rest who are condemned to run frantically just to stay in the same place yet often cannot prevent falling behind. We fear the collapse of the ecosystem straining under the burden of our ambitions, the revenge of nature for violence we perpetrate against it. We fear loss of cultural identities as the globe shrinks, and people, driven by war, ecological devastation, and deprivation, migrate to where they can survive and thrive.

Politically, the consequence is the rise of identity politics and nationalism, both driven largely by fear. Culturally, the consequences are dystopian movies and literature, and the popularity of pessimistic philosophies. In religious thought and imagination, too, apocalyptic moods are again in vogue. Hope seems impossible; fear feels overwhelming.

A Thing With Feathers

The Apostle Paul has penned some of the most famous lines about hope ever written: “For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience” (Romans 8:24-25). Hope is a strange thing – as Emily Dickinson declares in her famous poem , it’s a “thing with feathers” perched in our soul, ready to take us on its wings to some future good. In fact, hope is a thing that has already taken us to that good with the tune that it sings. In hope – or perhaps by hope – “we were saved,” writes Apostle Paul. In hope, a future good which isn’t yet, somehow already is. A future good we cannot see, which waits in darkness, still qualifies our entire existence. We might be suffering or experiencing “hardship … distress … persecution … famine … nakedness … peril … sword … we are being killed all day long” (Romans 8:18, 35-36), and yet we have been saved and we are saved.

Interpreting the phrase “in hope we are saved,” Martin Luther suggested in his Lectures on Romans that just as love transforms the lover into the beloved, so “hope changes the one who hopes into what is hoped for.” [1]   Thus, a key feature of hope is that it stretches a person into the unknown, the hidden, the darkness of unknown possibility. For Paul this can happen because God is with us – God who gives life to the dead and calls into existence things that do not exist.

Hope vs. Optimism vs. Expectation

When I hope, I expect something in the future. I cannot hope for my 18-year-old son to know how to ride a bike, because he knows that already. But I can hope for him to do well in college, for that’s where he is headed in the fall. Without expectation for the future, there can be no hope. But we don’t hope for everything we can expect in the future. We generally don’t hope for natural occurrences, such as a new day that dawns after a dark and restful night; I know , more or less, that the next day will come. But I may hope for cool breezes to freshen up a hot summer day. We reserve the term “hope” for the expectation of things that we cannot fully control or predict with a high degree of certainty. The way we generally use the word, “hope” can be roughly defined as the expectation of good things that don’t come to us as a matter of course . That’s the distinction between hope and expectation.

The God who creates out of nothing, the God who makes the dead alive, justifies hope that is otherwise unjustifiable.

In his justly famous book Theology of Hope (1964), Jürgen Moltmann, one of the greatest theologians of the second part of the 20th century, made another important distinction, that between hope and optimism. [2] The source of the distinction relates to the specific way some ancient biblical writers understand hope. Optimism, if it is justified, is based on extrapolations we make about the future based upon what we can reasonably discern to be tendencies in the present. Meteorologists observe weather patterns around the globe and release their forecasts for the next day: the day will be unseasonably warm, but in the early afternoon winds will pick up and bring some relief; now you have reason to be optimistic that the afternoon will be pleasant, perhaps you even look forward to sailing your little 12-foot sloop on three-foot swells. Or, to take another scenario, you and your spouse are healthy adults of childbearing age, you have had no trouble conceiving, and the obstetrician tells you that your pregnancy is going well; you have reason to be optimistic that you will give birth to a healthy child. The present contains the seeds of the future, and if it is well with these seeds, the future that will grow will be good as well. That’s reasonable optimism.

Hope, argued Moltmann, is different. Hope is not based on accurate extrapolation about the future from the character of the present; the hoped-for future is not born out of the present. The future good that is the object of hope is a new thing, novum , that comes in part from outside the situation. Correspondingly, hope is, in Emily Dickinson’s felicitous phrase, like a bird that flies in from outside and “perches in the soul.” Optimism in dire situations reveals an inability to understand what is going on or an unwillingness to accept it and is therefore an indication of foolishness or weakness. In contrast, hope during dire situations, hope notwithstanding the circumstances, is a sign of courage and strength.

What is the use of hope not based on evidence or reason, you may wonder? Think of the alternative. What happens when we identify hope with reasonable expectation? Facing the shocking collapse of what we had expected with good reasons, we will slump into hopelessness at the time when we need hope the most! Hope helps us identify signs of hope as signs of hope rather than just anomalies in an otherwise irreparable situation, as indicators of a new dawn rather than the last flickers of a dying light. Hope also helps us to press on with determination and courage. When every course of action by which we could reach the desired future seems destined to failure, when we cannot reasonably draw a line that would connect the terror of the present with future joy, hope remains indomitable and indestructible. When we hope, we always hope against reasonable expectations. That’s why Emily Dickinson’s bird of hope “never stops” singing – in the sore storm, in the chilliest land, on the strangest sea.

Hope Needs Endurance, Endurance Needs Hope

We are most in need of hope under an affliction and menace we cannot control, yet it is in those situations that it is most difficult for us to hold onto hope and not give ourselves over to darkness as our final state. That is where patience and endurance come in. In the same letter to the Romans, in the same passage that celebrates hope and its transformative darkness, Paul writes: “If we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience” (Romans 8:25). “Patience” is here the translation of hypomone , which is better rendered as endurance, or perhaps “patient endurance.” 

Neither patience nor endurance are popular emotions or skills. Our lives are caught in a whirlwind of accelerated changes; we have little endurance for endurance, no patience with patience. Technological advances promise to give us lives of ease; having to endure anything strikes us as a defeat. And yet, when a crisis hits, we need endurance as much as we need hope. Or, more precisely, we need genuine hope, which, to the extent that it is genuine, is marked by endurance.

When the great Apostle says in Romans 8:25 that if we hope, we wait with endurance, he implies that hope generates endurance: because we hope we can endure present suffering. That was his point in the opening statement of the section on suffering in Romans 8:18: “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us.” The hope of future glory makes present suffering bearable. But, in Romans 5:3-5, he inverts the relation between hope and endurance. There he writes, “suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” Now endurance helps generate hope. Putting the two texts together, Romans 8 and Romans 5, we can say: hope needs endurance and endurance needs hope; genuine endurance is marked by hope; and genuine hope is marked by endurance.

The God of Promises

More than half a century after his Theology of Hope , Jürgen Moltmann has written an essay, On Patience (2018), about two aspects of patience we find in the biblical traditions: forbearance and endurance. Writing as a 92-year-old, he begins the second paragraph of this essay on patience autobiographically:

In my youth, I learned to know “the God of hope” and loved the beginnings of a new life with new ideas. But in my old age I am learning to know “the God of patience” and stay in my place in life . [3]

Youth and old age, Moltmann goes on to say, are not about chronology, but about experiences in life and stances toward life. Hope and patience belong both to youth and to old age; they complement each other. He continues:

Without endurance, hope turns superficial and evaporates when it meets first resistances. In hope we start something new, but only endurance helps us persevere. Only tenacious endurance makes hope sustainable. We learn endurance only with the help of hope. On the other hand, when hope gets lost, endurance turns into passivity. Hope turns endurance into active passivity. In hope we affirm the pain that comes with endurance, and learn to tolerate it. [4]

Hope and endurance – neither can be truly itself without the other. And for the Apostle Paul, both our hope and our ability to endure – our enduring hope – are rooted in the character of God. Toward the end of Romans, he highlights both “the God of endurance” (or steadfastness) and “the God of hope” (Romans 15:5, 13). Those who believe in that God – the God who is the hope of Israel, the God who is the hope of Gentiles and the hope of the whole earth – are able to be steadfast and endure fear-inducing situations they cannot change and in which no good future seems to be in sight. But more than just endure. Paul, the persecuted apostle who experienced himself as “always carrying in the body the death of Jesus,” was hoping for more than just endurance from the God of hope. Toward the very end of his letter to the Christians in Rome – in the second of what looks like four endings of the letter – he writes: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13). In the midst of affliction, the God of hope opens us up for the possibility of joy and comprehensive well-being.

Our salvation lies in hope, but not in hope that insists on the future good it has imagined, but in hope ready to rejoice in the kind of good that actually comes our way. The God who creates out of nothing, the God who makes dead alive – the God of the original beginning of all things and the God of new beginnings – justifies hope that is otherwise unjustifiable. When that God makes a promise, we can hope.

Miroslav Volf is Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology at YDS and founding director of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture. He is the author of A Public Faith: How Followers of Christ Should Serve the Common Good (Brazos, 2011) and other books.

[1] Martin Luther, Lectures on Romans , edited by Hilton C. Oswald, volume 25 of Luther’s Works , edited by Jaroslav Pelikan and Helmut Lehmann (Concordia Publishing House, 1972), p. 364.

[2] Jürgen Moltmann, Theology of Hope: On the Ground and the Implications of a Christian Eschatology , translated by Margaret Kohl (HarperSanFrancisco, 1991).

[3] Jürgen Moltmann, Über Geduld, Barmherzigkeit und Solidarität (Gütersloher Verlagshaus, 2018), p. 13, my translation.

[4] Moltmann, pp. 13-14.

187 Hope Essay Topics: Ideas for Definition Essays, Literature Papers & More

Hope is a topic that has been discussed throughout philosophy’s history and in all Western philosophical traditions. It plays a vital role in every aspect of human life, such as religion, politics, and relationships. Hope also enables people to handle events with a mindset encouraging them to look ahead enthusiastically and positively.

In this article, our expert team has collected creative and catchy hope titles for essays that will come in handy!

• 🔝 Top 10 Hope Essays Topics

✍️ Hope Essay Prompts

• 🔤 Definition Essay on Hope
• 🙏 Essay on Hope and Faith

📚 Hope Essay Topics for Papers on Literature

🕊️ more great titles about hope, 📝 essay on hope: outline, 🔗 references, 🔝 top 10 hope essay topics.

• The philosophy of hope.
• The impact of hope on society.
• Why is the concept of hope important?
• Hope from a psychological perspective.
• Why do hope and anxiety accompany each other?
• Hope in Kant’s studies.
• The cross as a symbol of hope.
• Hope: personal experience.
• How not to lose hope?
• Example of hope in literature.

Have you ever felt a lack of inspiration when writing a school or college essay about hope? Not this time! We have prepared creative essay prompts that will aid you in receiving the highest grades!

Is Hope a Blessing or a Curse: Essay Prompt

The Greeks considered hope the most harmful of all evils because it hindered people from accepting their fate. In addition, hope is concerned with what has not yet occurred. So, it is natural that the higher our hopes for the future, the greater our disappointment when they are unmet.

On the other hand, research finds that people are more likely to accomplish their goals when they have hope. In your essay, you can provide the advantages and disadvantages of having hope, analyze them, and come to a conclusion.

Prompt for Essay about Faith, Hope, and Love

Faith, hope, and love are central to Christianity. Some Christian churches consider them theological virtues , each reflecting principles that define humanity’s relationship with God. In your essay about faith, hope, and love, you can focus on the following aspects:

• The role of these 3 virtues in religion.
• Importance of faith, hope, and love in everyday life.
• The example of faith, hope, and love from your experience, a film, or a book.
• Key verses about these virtues in the Bible.

What Gives You Hope for the Future: Essay Prompt

Hope might be among the most challenging things to find in terrible circumstances, but one must cling to it when things get bad. Being hopeful means believing in a better tomorrow, even if today everything goes wrong.

If you need help determining what gives you hope for the future, consider these tips:

• Think about the ups and downs that you have experienced.
• Try to find things that make you happy and inspired.
• Create a list of items you are thankful for and explain why.
• Look for some stories of hopeful people or ask friends to share their experiences.

Why Is Hope Important: Essay Prompt

Hope is one of the most powerful emotions since it urges people to keep going regardless of what happens in their lives. It also provides motivation to pursue goals, no matter how difficult or unattainable they seem, and fosters a positive attitude toward daily issues.

To highlight the importance of hope, find the answers to the following questions:

• How does hope help people overcome difficulties?
• Why is hope one of the greatest motivators?
• What is the impact of hope on mental health?
• Why is hope a strength and protective factor?

🔤 Definition Essay on Hope: Topic Ideas

A definition essay aims to thoroughly explain a specific concept. If you’re looking for ideas for your definition essay on hope, here are some topics to consider:

• What is the definition of hope in psychology?
• The essence of hope in Christianity .
• Hope in Hinduism as a concept of desire and wish.
• The focus of hope on economic and social empowerment in culture.
• What does the term hope mean in Judaism ?
• Hope in literature as a motivating force for change in the plot.
• How can hope be defined in the healthcare industry?
• Hope as the perceived capability to derive pathways to desired goals.
• How did ancient people define hope?
• Barack Obama’s psychology of hope: definition and peculiarities.
• The emotional competency of hope in the modern world.
• How do different cultures define and value the concept of hope?
• The role of hope in art: from ancient to modern times.
• The interpretation and explanation of hope by different philosophical currents .
• How is the concept of hope reflected in the works of different eras and genres?
• The impact of AI technology on the perception and expression of hope.
• Hope in the educational process: features.
• How has the understanding of hope changed over history?
• The relationship between the concept of hope and a general sense of happiness .
• Hope in religious beliefs and its manifestations in believers’ behaviors.

🙏 Essay on Hope and Faith: Interesting Topics

Faith and hope are closely interrelated concepts. If you need to write an essay on hope and faith, check out our writing ideas:

• The link between faith and hope in psychiatry.
• Three Faiths: Buddhism, Shintoism, and Bahai Religion .
• How do faith and hope help people to deal with uncertainty?
• The influence of hope and faith on mental health.
• Hope and faith as a foundation for religious practice and rituals .
• Health Care Provider and Faith Diversity .
• What is the difference between faith and hope?
• The role of hope and faith in the healing process .
• Hope and faith as a source of moral values.
• Christian Faith and Psychology: Allies Model .
• How does faith nurture and sustain hope?
• The nature of faith and hope in different cultures .
• European and Greek Heritage and Health Beliefs .
• Hope and faith from a philosophical perspective.
• The influence of hope and faith on the decision-making process.
• How do religious communities promote hope and faith?
• Religious Beliefs and Political Decisions .
• Religious hope and faith in the context of a personal tragedy.
• Hope and faith: the role in driving social change.
• Social Influence and Its Effects on People’s Beliefs and Behavior .
• The role of hope and faith in overcoming depression and anxiety disorders.
• What do hope and faith have in common?
• Political Beliefs in Changing Leadership .
• The thin line between hope and faith in oncology.
• Religious hope and faith as a source of the meaning of life.
• How Beliefs Can Shape a Person’s Reality .
• Why is hope so important to our faith?
• The evolution of faith and hope in human life.

Bible Study Questions on Hope

• Why, according to the Bible , hope is not a fleeting feeling?
• What messages of hope are present in the Book of Hebrews?
• Marriage and the Family: The Biblical Ideal & Modern Practice .
• What does the Book of Romans say about hope?
• How does the Psalmist convey hope in the face of adversity and uncertainty?
• What role does hope play in the teachings of Proverbs?
• Similarities in Family Values: The Aeneid and the Bible .
• How does the Bible teach us to be confident in our hope?
• What is the connection between hope and repentance in the Book of Lamentations?
• Why does true hope come as a gift by trusting God ?
• Relation Between God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit .
• Which stories from the Bible can help us learn more about hope?
• How does the book of Psalms use poetic language to express feelings of hope?
• The Nature of God, Humanity, Jesus, and Salvation .
• What role does hope play in the teachings of Jesus?
• How does the concept of hope relate to the idea of forgiveness in the Bible?
• How does Noah’s story with the flood illustrate the notion of hope?
• Several Theological Perspectives in the Understanding of the Bible, Its Interpretation and Issues .
• What lessons about hope may be derived from the Israelites’ experiences in the desert?
• How does the Book of Revelation present a vision of ultimate hope?

Are you searching for hope essay titles in literature ? In the sections below, you’ll find topics about this theme in the poem “Hope” Is the Thing with Feathers and other literary works.

Hope Is the Thing with Feathers Essay: Topic Ideas

• “Hope” Is the Thing with Feathers as a hymn of praise to hope.
• The power of hope as a key idea in the poem.
• “Hope” Is the Thing with Feathers: critical features of the poetic tone.
• The metaphor of hope in Emily Dickinson’s poem .
• Hope as a feathered creature in the poem.
• The concept of hope in “Hope” Is the Thing with Feathers.
• Why does Dickinson represent hope in her poem as a living thing?
• The symbolism of feathers in the poem “Hope” Is the Thing with Feathers.
• The abstract form of hope by Dickinson: the use of imagery and figurative language .
• Soul as a hope’s home in”Hope” Is the Thing with Feathers.
• How does Dickinson describe the paradoxical nature of hope in her poem?
• The use of poetic devices in “Hope” Is the Thing with Feathers.
• The impact of Dickinson’s poem on readers’ perceptions of hope.
• Dickinson’s “Hope” Is the Thing with Feathers: comparison of hope and despair.
• The peculiarities of “Hope” Is the Thing with Feathers title.

Hope Theme in Literature: More Essay Titles

• The Diary of Anne Frank: how hope saved lives during the Holocaust.
• The theme of hope in Louis’s journey in Hillenbrand’s Unbroken .
• The power of hope in the face of difficulty in A Raisin in the Sun.
• How does the author convey the idea of hope in Jane Eyre?
• Orwell’s 1984: The theme of lost hope for the future.
• Disillusionment of hope in The Great Gatsby .
• “Hope” by Emily Bronte as a poetic interpretation of hope.
• The American Dream in the Play “Death of a Salesman.”
• The nature of hope in One Hundred Years of Solitude.
• Night by Elie Wiesel : the concept of hope as a lifeline.
• How is the theme of hope highlighted in Life of Pi?
• Hemingway’s works and their connection with hope in the face of adversity.
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee: the hope for justice and equality.
• The value of hope and humanity in All Quiet on the Western Front.
• Romeo and Juliet: hope’s vulnerability in a world of quarreling families.
• How does The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry reveal the various perspectives of hope?
• The impact of hope on humanity’s future.
• How does hope help people cope with mental and physical disorders ?
• Personal Beliefs. Thought Control .
• Loss of hope: practical methods and strategies to stay motivated.
• The role of hope in students’ academic achievement .
• Hope as a source of energy and a positive mindset.
• The impact of hope on creativity in art and literature.
• Restoring Hope Counselling Home for Youth .
• How can hope assist in raising children?
• Hope as an instrument of adaptation to changes in modern society.
• Emotional regulation through hope: strategies and effectiveness.
• Supernaturalism: The Existence of God and the Meaning of a Human Life .
• How does hope aid in social progress and prosperity?
• The efficiency of hope in goal achievement.
• The Five Pillars of Islam and Its Major Teachings .
• How do people stay hopeful in the face of uncertainty?
• The influence of hope in business and entrepreneurship.
• Hope as a powerful motivator in conflict resolution .
• The relationship between hope and stress management.
• The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ .
• Hope and its influence on the development of emotional intelligence.
• How does hope affect the ethical issues of technological development ?
• The value of hope in the maintenance of positive family relations.
• The role of hope in sports achievements and overcoming difficulties.
• Positive Reinforcement Concepts Discussion .
• Hope as a factor in maintaining environmental awareness and responsibility.
• Hope and its impact on adaptation to technological innovations.
• Reason and Religious Belief. An Introduction to The Philosophy of Religion’ by M. Peterson .
• The influence of hope on the formation and maintenance of healthy habits.
• Hope as a source of recovery in medical practices.
• Positive Self-Talk and Its Impact on Athletes .
• The role of hope in the creation of a positive working environment.
• The influence of hope on the development of professional reputation and success .
• How do we use hope for financial stability?
• Argumentative Essay: I Have a Good Life .
• The relationship between hope and the ability to creatively solve problems.
• What role does hope play in the social integration of migrants and refugees ?
• The use of hope as a driving force in the formation of psychological stability.
• Managing Self-Defeating Thoughts .
• How does hope drive effective leadership and teamwork?

Hopes and Dreams Essay: Topic Ideas

• The economy of dreams: hope in global capitalism and its critiques.
• How did COVID-19 impact Australians’ hopes and dreams?
• The impact of drug addiction on people’s ability to hope and dream.
• American Dream and its Drawbacks .
• Hopes and dreams: common and distinctive qualities.
• The contribution of hopes and dreams to a sense of purpose.
• Sociology of Religion: Purpose and Concept .
• The efficiency of music in conveying emotions related to hopes and dreams.
• How do different cultures perceive and prioritize hopes and dreams?
• I Have a Dream Speech by Martin Luther King .
• The role of hope and dream in classical literature.
• The psychological side of unfulfilled dreams and hopes.
• How do hopes and dreams change across various generations?
• The use of realism and idealism in pursuing hopes and dreams.
• How can hope and dreams help to overcome post-traumatic stress disorder ?
• The opportunities and obstacles teenagers face in pursuing their dreams and hopes.
• History: In Search of the American Dream .
• Childhood dreams and hopes and the development of adult identity.
• How do social media shape individuals’ hopes and dreams?

Ideas for an Essay on Youth Is Hope

• The pressure of high hopes for young people in the 21st century.
• How do role models aid in instilling hope in young individuals?
• Youth Involvement in Political Processes .
• Young people’s political activism as a source of public hope.
• The youth as a driving force of any country or culture.
• Impact of Information Technology on Youth Development .
• The role of youth in breaking stereotypes and fostering hope.
• Youth and international relations : hope for peace in the world.
• The potential of young political leaders to justify the hopes of society.
• Educational Program for Young Nurses .
• Youth and gender equality: hope for a future without discrimination.
• The role of young educators in creating a hopeful future for the next generation.
• Youth as the backbone of society and hope for a better life.
• Young Adulthood and Millennial Leadership .
• How does technological progress inspire youth to be more hopeful?
• Environmental activism of young people: creating hope for a sustainable future.
• Youth as hope for creating solidarity and respect in society .
• Is it justified to place high hopes on the youth?
• Youth and inclusiveness: hope for the future of equal opportunities.

Wondering how to structure your essay about hope? Leave it to us! Here is a perfect outline of a hope essay for students with examples!

Hope Essay Introduction

The introduction gives your reader a clear picture of what your essay will address. It should include some background information on your problem and proposed solution.

Take these steps to create a perfect introduction:

• Start with an attention-grabbing hook .
• Provide some background information.
• Narrow the scope of your discussion.
• Identify your position.
• Outline the framework of your essay.

Thesis Statement about Hope

A thesis statement is a short sentence that introduces your paper’s argument to the reader. Here’s how to write it:

• Collect the evidence to back up your argument.
• Think of the significance of the facts you have found.
• Formulate your stance on the issue in one sentence.
• Make adjustments as needed.

The thesis statement is usually the last sentence of your introduction. Look at an example of how it might look:

Although it is impossible to stop yourself from hoping, it can become problematic when that hope turns into a delusion.

Essay about Hope: Body Paragraphs

The essay’s body is where you thoroughly explore your point of view. Each body paragraph should have one main idea or argument supported by examples and evidence. The structure of your body paragraph should look the following way:

• Topic sentence.
• Supporting evidence.
• The link to the next paragraph.

Check out an example of a body paragraph containing all these elements:

[Topic sentence] Hope is one of the most significant and strong feelings that a person can experience. [Supporting evidence] It propels us ahead in life, gives us hope for the future, and generally helps us feel better about ourselves and our lives. Furthermore, hope enables us to continue living despite the difficulties we face in life. [Transition] Yet, there can be too much of a good thing, as overreliance on hope can leave one disappointed and defeated.

Essays on Hope: Conclusion

A conclusion brings together the essential concepts covered in the essay’s body. It includes 4 main components:

• Rephrased thesis statement.
• Summary of key arguments.
• The broader significance of the topic
• Prediction, recommendations, or call to action.

Here’s how a rephrased thesis might look:

To sum up, it is acceptable to spend some time in hope but not to live in it. Instead, people must live in reality, which is the only way to achieve results.

We hope that our creative and catchy hope titles for essays have been inspirational for you! Besides, you can use our free online topic generator for more ideas!

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• What is Hope and Why Is It So Crucial to Our Faith? | Bible Study Tools
• Philosophy of Hope | Springer Link
• Six Top Tips for Writing a Great Essay | The University of Melbourne
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How to Be Hopeful, Even When It’s Really, Really Hard

By Sarah Jacoby

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I can’t lie to you—things these days are bleak. Your newsfeed is likely overwhelmed with grim updates following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, a landmark ruling that has protected a pregnant person’s right to choose to have an abortion for nearly 50 years. This moment, in particular, feels especially demoralizing after everything our world has gone through during the past two years.

The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed the way our society works and, even more depressingly, there are some serious ways in which it hasn’t changed things at all. People are dying. People are losing their jobs. People can’t pay for food or gas or housing. And even people whose circumstances haven’t changed that much are dealing with new challenges they probably never thought they’d have to face.

In times like this (not that I can name another time like this), it feels impossible to maintain any sense of hopefulness or optimism about the future. Not only is it a challenge to imagine any future in a world where things are constantly changing, but it’s especially tough to think—let alone expect—a future in which things are actually somewhat positive.

But as uncomfortable as it may feel, pushing ourselves to imagine that better future may be a crucial way for us to maintain some semblance of mental well-being—which feels more important than ever.

What is this so-called hope you speak of?

In general, having hope is having an expectation that something good will happen in the future or that something bad won’t happen, according to the American Psychological Association (APA). You can think about hope in different ways: You can feel it as an emotion, or use it as one way to motivate yourself to action, or as part of a coping mechanism that gets you through some form of loss.

Being hopeful makes you an optimist, which the APA defines as someone who “anticipates positive outcomes, whether serendipitously or through perseverance and effort, and who [is] confident of attaining desired goals.” We all exist somewhere on the spectrum of pessimist to optimist, and very few of us are full-on, forever only glass-half-full people. It’s completely normal to have trouble being optimistic, even in the best of circumstances. But now it’s even more of a challenge. So why bother trying to be hopeful when things are so overwhelmingly bad?

“Basically, so we don’t feel so miserable and afraid about the things that we face in life that are inevitably going to come around from time to time,” Richard Tedeschi, PhD , a professor emeritus of psychology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte specializing in trauma recovery and bereavement, tells SELF. “If we can face them with a sense that there’s something we can do about them, life becomes easier to live.” Essentially, hope can be the catalyst to get us to create other behaviors that do make things a little easier. And performing those behaviors can, in turn, fuel more hope.

By Korin Miller

By Jenna Ryu

And for those with mental illnesses, such as depression or anxiety, cultivating hope and resilience can be key to managing their symptoms, Dr. Tedeschi says. In depression , for instance, a persistent feeling of hopelessness is often a defining symptom. In the case of anxiety , fear is one of the driving factors. “In both cases, they’re drawing the conclusion that things are out of their control and things aren’t going to work,” Dr. Tedeschi says. Figuring out a way to become more hopeful, even—or especially—when life is difficult, is usually a necessary component of treatment.

Being hopeful can help you build resilience.

Putting in the work to be hopeful has other psychological benefits too. In particular, hope helps build resilience , which “is the ability to either recover quickly from events that are challenging, or traumatic, or a crisis or to be relatively unaffected by these events,” Dr. Tedeschi explains.

But resilience isn’t just being able to withstand a difficult situation. “It has to do with living a fuller life,” Lillian Comas-Diaz, PhD , a psychologist specializing in trauma recovery and multicultural issues, tells SELF. “Resilience is a way of coping with adversity and being able to get some knowledge from that adversity,” which might help you improve your coping mechanisms for the future.

From there, it’s easy to see how hope, optimism, and a generally more positive outlook might develop with resilience. It works like a feedback loop, Dr. Tedeschi says: “If you have success in managing these situations, you become more optimistic about how you’re going to do in the future,” he explains. And as you develop some optimism and hope, that might help you persist and manage in the face of the difficulties we all inevitably face.

How to be hopeful when things feel hopeless

Here are a few tips from our experts:

Some people are just naturally optimistic, even in a situation like this. But, generally, resilience is something that’s learned—first through our experiences in childhood, potentially, and then later as we go through the inevitable challenges of life, Dr. Tedeschi says. So for those of us who maybe feel a little silly trying to look for a silver lining in, you know, these Unprecedented Times, trying to be hopeful just doesn’t feel genuine. And if it’s not authentic, it isn’t very helpful.

If you’re someone who finds it difficult or even feels silly trying to be optimistic right now, know that hope doesn’t necessarily mean thinking that everything will always be amazing. Being hopeful doesn’t have to be about looking for the bright side or deluding ourselves into thinking everything will be just fine, Dr. Comas-Diaz says. Hope is really just a (realistic) expectation that something good will happen—and that you have some control over it.

For some people, it might be difficult to be hopeful because they don’t have a source of hope they can immediately point to, Dr. Comas-Diaz says. In those cases, she will ask her patients to do an inventory, asking what sources of hope their friends, family, or larger culture draw upon and if the patient can “borrow” from that source as well. Think about, say, your mom or a close friend—what brings them hope? Can you share that with them or get some hope vicariously through them? Or is there a particular cause you’re really passionate about that you can draw some sense of optimism from?

For instance, if you lost your job but you’re passionate about a certain cause— climate activism , reproductive rights, et cetera—you might find some hope by donating time and effort to those issues while you figure out what your next job might be.

Others may find hope comes from their spirituality or a non-spiritual sense of their small place in the larger community. Basically, anything that helps remind you of the scope of the world, of your goals, and what (small, perhaps) role you might play in it all can bring a positive sense of what’s to come.

Cultivating hope starts with being able to authentically identify how you’re feeling in a particular moment, identifying how you would rather be feeling, and building or drawing on the tools in your life to help you feel that way. That might start with individual activities or self-care practices but will and should involve participating in genuine, healthy relationships as well.

First, don’t give up on your usual self-care routine. Whatever is bringing you joy or making you feel better right now, stick with it, Dr. Comas-Diaz says. Maybe that’s working out, diving into a creative project, revisiting a favorite TV show, or just getting yourself to plan tasty meals regularly. Though they may seem small, these activities are the foundation for building up resilience and hope—even when things are really tough.

Not only will these activities help you keep up your mental well-being, but they’ll also give you small moments to look forward to in the near future, even when things feel out of control and unpredictable.

If you try to be hopeful and find that it’s just too difficult right now, interrogate and try to reframe those negative thought patterns. For instance, as psychologist Todd DuBose wrote for the APA during the height of the pandemic, we are reframing the hopeful refrain “It’s going to be alright” as being more about “No matter what, we are in this together” rather than “Look at the bright side.”

More specifically, you can try something like the ABCDE model often used in cognitive behavioral therapy , Dr. Comas-Diaz says. The A stands for adversity, meaning you have to name the challenge or problem you’re up against. The B calls you to look at what negative belief you have about the situation. The C means you need to examine the consequences that belief is having on your behavior and emotions, particularly how you feel about yourself. When you get to D, that’s the point where you start to dispute those beliefs and offer alternate explanations to yourself. Finally, E stands for energize or new effect, which signals the introduction of a new line of thinking about the original event or challenge.

Here’s what that might look like in practice: Maybe you start with a thought like, The future I envisioned for myself now feels out of reach. That means everything I wanted to do is canceled and there’s nothing to look forward to. Maybe something good could happen, but it feels stupid and naive to count on that. So I’m not going to make any new plans and instead I’m going to just sit here because why even try?

But when you start to dispute those beliefs, you can introduce other possibilities. Maybe your five-year plan isn’t necessarily crushed beyond repair, or maybe it can be a six-year plan instead, and that’s fine! Yes, of course, things are really challenging right now and will require us to work out of our comfort zones to adapt, but all is not completely lost. And if you can intervene in those thought patterns, you are carving out the space for a new belief to take hold, perhaps even one that’s hopeful.

Being hopeful relies partly on having a sense of control—it’s the idea that you can exert an influence on the world around you and that the actions you take can have positive consequences in your life. But obviously, there are some situations that are truly out of your control, like losing a loved one.

In those cases, you’ll need to draw on resilience. “Being resilient might also mean having an acceptance of the things that are beyond your control or beyond your ability to influence,” Dr. Tedeschi says. “Instead, look for another course of action that relieves some of the unpleasant emotions of the situation, especially in the case of loss.”

Taking some control could include elements of your self-care routine that you’re already doing—like giving yourself even more time to wind down before bed. Or you might need to go beyond that. For instance, many people find that simple, small acts of compassion—like volunteering at your local food pantry or donating to a cause that’s really important to you—help build that sense of control even in a chaotic situation, Dr. Tedeschi says.

Reminder: You don’t need to literally solve all of society’s problems to be helpful. And seeing that you do still have the agency to make an impact, however small, may be just what you need to cultivate more hopeful thoughts and behaviors that promote them.

It’s really hard to become more hopeful if you don’t have the space to acknowledge that you’re having a hard time with that right now. That’s why the first step of building hope (and resilience) is to look at the situation head-on and acknowledge the true terribleness of it, ideally with other people who are skilled active listeners, Dr. Tedeschi says, meaning people who are truly engaged and empathetic.

“If we can do that with people who are really good listeners and reflect together with us on how to figure all this stuff out,” he says, “we can actually improve our coping mechanisms, learn important lessons about ourselves, or manage to find some sort of meaning in all of this .” Getting something like that out of the situation will obviously continue to help us as we move forward, but it might also make things feel less hopeless currently.

Having relationships with people you feel safe enough to have open, vulnerable conversations about what you’re dealing with—and being able to work through those feelings together in a productive way—is the real key, the experts tell SELF.

If you already have those people in your life, make it a point to have regular check-ins with them to talk about the serious shit you’re going through. And don’t underestimate the power of being a listener, Dr. Comas-Diaz says. Think of yourself as a witness, collaborator, or helper to get your friends through whatever issues they’re coming up against, and you might notice that has benefits for you as well. “This transcends psychology,” she says. “It is being human.”

But if you don’t already have those close relationships, there are ways to build them. Perhaps you have people in your circle of friends you’d like to be closer with. In that case, you could try starting a support group with them—and you might be surprised at how many people are interested. This is an idea that has real research behind it, such as this 2019 study published in the journal Development and Psychopathology. For the study, researchers randomly assigned 23 women to take part in a support group that met 12 times over a few months using video conferencing software. Results showed that many of the participants found the groups incredibly valuable for building authentic connections and dedicating time to focus on their emotional well-being—even though the groups were virtual.

Dr. Tedeschi says this will give you someone who can allow you the space to voice those concerns and vulnerabilities and help you find ways to work through them. They might guide you through those reframing exercises, for instance, or help you become more aware of those negative thought patterns and the effects they are having on the rest of your life. (Here are some tips on how to find an affordable therapist right now .)

For some people, it’s always hard to be hopeful. Right now, just about everyone is finding it challenging to maintain any semblance of a positive outlook. But it’s not impossible—and may just be the key to mentally surviving the current state of the world.

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SELF does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Any information published on this website or by this brand is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional.

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Poetry Analysis Essay on Finding Hope by Pat A. Fleming

Introduction.

The title of the poem "Finding Hope" by Pat A. Fleming is an honest invitation to the reader to ponder over the question: "Where and how can you find hope in the hardest times?" The poem that follows is the author's answer to this question. The speaker in the poem is a person who looks back at her life and regrets not living it fully because of her fears and doubts. Most likely, the speaker is a mature middle-aged person because "the wisdom of age" (Fleming, 2017) is mentioned in the sixth stanza. The speaker shares with the reader her insight that one is to stop comparing, to leave the past in the past and to finally start living.

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The most effective technique used by the author is ingeniously involving metaphors to convey the message in a more subtle and poignant way. Through using metaphors the author compares life to a match ("I've always viewed life from the side lines" (Fleming, 2017)), a journey ("...no matter what path we each take" (Fleming, 2017)), and a battle ("So the time has now come to conquer my fears" (Fleming, 2017)). These metaphors help show the speaker's inner growth. The evolution of the speaker's self-image from a spectator watching a match to a traveler and finally to a warrior fighting a battle reflect the change in her attitude to life from passive observation to a pro-active attitude. Thus, as the poem progresses, its mood changes from disappointment to hope. The shift happens in the sixth stanza and it is marked by a conjunction "but" which shows that the speaker's insight has brought about a change in her worldview. So, the title of the poem, "Finding Hope," is a very literal indication of what the author is doing in the poem: she reviews her painful attachment to her past, her fears, and insecurities, and finds hope in the idea that we are all only human beings, we all make mistakes, but we can and should leave them behind and move on with our lives.

Finding Hope "Where does your hope live?" you will ask. It lives in string lights in the dusk, The Christmas tree that's all aglow With magic dust and sparkling snow. It's in a hot cocoa mug, A box with presents on the rug. This Christmas night, it's shining bright Reflecting golden candlelight. Where does my hope live? This I know. It's in the eyes of those I love, It's in the carols that they sing, It's in the joy they always bring. My hope will never fade away. My hope is here with me to stay. My hope and I will never part. I'll always find it in my heart.

The poem I have written has the same title and dwells on the same question "Where and how can you find hope in the hardest times?" The poem is set at Christmas because it is that time of the year which is usually spent thinking about such eternal and universal things as kindness, love, faith and hope. The speaker answers the question by saying that she finds hope in the festive mood of Christmas and in the love that she feels for her family and friends.

The poem employs a lot of metaphors, the first of them being the personification of hope which is represented as a living being which can live at some place. It is also compared with the light of candles, the warmth of a hot drink, and the sound of music and singing - all those things that have always delighted human beings most of all in the holiday season. These metaphors help create a festive, joyful and optimistic mood. The shift in the narrative occurs in the third stanza when the speaker switches from comparing hope to material objects to talking about the feelings of love and joy. So, in the last stanza of the poem the answer to the question asked by the title is given - the speaker finds hope in loving her family and friends, and this makes her hope invincible.

Fleming, P. A. (2017, July). Finding Hope. Retrieved December 22, 2018, from https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/finding-hope.

Cite this page

Poetry Analysis Essay on Finding Hope by Pat A. Fleming. (2022, Nov 03). Retrieved from https://midtermguru.com/essays/poetry-analysis-essay-on-finding-hope-by-pat-a-fleming

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4 Tips to Find Hope in a Hopeless Situation (With Examples)

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Updated on September 6, 2023

Feeling hopeless is a common experience that many people, at one point or another will feel. Sometimes it can be difficult to find hope when you experience hardship or a traumatic event.

During times of hopelessness, it may feel impossible to be optimistic about the future. However, finding the strength to find hope is crucial to maintaining your well-being and moving forward with your life. Thankfully, there are things you can do to battle the feeling of hopelessness and make life feel a bit more manageable.

In this article, I will explore what it means to find hope, why it is important, and provide some helpful strategies you can use to help you find hope during tough times.

What does it mean to have hope?

Emotional health benefits of finding hope, physical health benefits of being hopeful, 1. turn to your support system, 2. reframe negative unhelpful thoughts, 3. focus on what is within your control, 4. practice mindfulness, wrapping up.

When we have hope it means we want an outcome to happen that will improve life in some way. Finding hope can make you feel less helpless and more optimistic about the future , which can make a difficult situation feel a bit more bearable.  

Finding hope may signify different things to different people, depending on one’s perspective. For some, hope is spiritual or religious, placing your hope and faith in a higher power. For others, hope can entail attempting to maintain a positive outlook on a situation , despite how terrible it may seem.

Finding hope requires resilience. It is accepting that the current situation is difficult but recognizing that it will not always be this way and that you have the strength within you to overcome it.

Why is finding hope important?

When we are not able to find hope, it can be detrimental to our mental and physical health.

Feeling hopeless can leave you feeling stuck, anxious, and depressed. It makes you feel like life won’t get better, and that it lacks purpose and meaning.

That’s why finding hope is so important; it gives us faith, strength, and a sense of purpose.

💡 By the way : Do you find it hard to be happy and in control of your life? It may not be your fault. To help you feel better, we’ve condensed the information of 100’s of articles into a 10-step mental health cheat sheet to help you be more in control. 👇

Don’t Miss Out On Happiness

Find happiness with this 10-step mental health cheat sheet.

According to research , hope is a powerful predictor of positive emotions. Another study confirms this, finding a link between hope and lower levels of anxiety and stress.

When you have hope, you may feel reduced stress and anxiety because you believe things will work out in the end or change in a way that positively impacts your life. You may feel more equipped to take actionable steps towards your goals because you already believe that change is possible.

Finding hope is also important when it comes to coping with difficult situations. Experts say that people who have a high level of hope tend to perceive obstacles as more manageable and less stressful and can quickly recover and adapt to adversity.

Another study found more adaptive coping strategies, such as problem-solving and proactive coping, are linked to higher levels of hope. It also has an inverse relationship with maladaptive coping techniques such as denial and detachment.

Hope has been linked to a variety of physical health benefits, including a healthier immune system, a better prognosis for chronic illness, and a reduction in pain, according to research .

Studies also associated hope with an 11 to 15 percent longer life span, with hopeful people being more likely to live to the age of 85 and beyond!

Hopeful people may see their lives as more purposeful and meaningful , and therefore engage in healthy activities that contribute to stronger health outcomes. Studies have found that people with higher hopes engage in superior health behaviors, such as eating a healthy diet , exercising, less likely to smoke or drink excessively, which all contribute to stronger health outcomes over time.

4 strategies to help you find hope

When you are experiencing hopelessness life can seem bleak. Thankfully, no matter how bad things appear at the moment, there are some things you can do to make life a little better and find hope for the future.

Family, friends, or even a mental health professional can help you to get through times of hopelessness.

Sometimes when people go through difficult circumstances, their instinct may be to withdraw or isolate themselves from their support. It may feel like being alone is what you need, but ultimately it will leave you feeling more lonely, scared, and hopeless.

A little alone time is okay, but if you find yourself withdrawing completely from friends and family, that may be an issue. Try and make plans with a friend or loved one and hold yourself accountable to go. Your loved ones can provide you with support to get through the situation and can also be a nice distraction from hardship.

Additionally, if you feel that you need professional help, a mental health therapist can help . A therapist can help you to understand why you feel hopeless, and find a way to accept, adapt, or if possible, change the situation. Additionally, a therapist can also help you to process difficult emotions and set realistic goals for the future.

It is natural to have negative thoughts, especially during times of distress. When you’re trying to find hope, it is important to challenge some of those negative thoughts , so that they don’t take over and consume you.

Your brain may try to tell you that things will never get better, there’s no use in trying, or that the world is unfair. However, just because you think these thoughts does not mean they are completely accurate!

Here are some questions you can ask yourself when you’re experiencing negative thoughts that may be distorted, inaccurate, or just plain wrong:

• Is there real evidence that supports this thought?
• What would I tell a friend if they had the same thought?
• Will this matter one day from now? What about one week, one month, one year?
• How have I dealt with similar situations in the past?
• Is this within my control ?

When you feel hopeless it may seem like everything is out of your control, and you can’t change the situation. Part of finding hope is having some sense of control, the belief that you can have an impact on the situation and take steps towards positive change.

Of course, there will be some circumstances that are completely beyond your control, and in those cases acceptance and resilience are key . Instead of focusing on trying to change impossible circumstances, focus on taking actions that alleviate some of the unpleasant emotions related to the situation.

For example, perhaps you experience the loss of a loved one; of course, something like this is out of your control. You can take back some control by focusing on your self-care or supporting your loved ones. This can make you feel less hopeless, even though the situation itself has not changed.

You do not need to completely resolve every difficult or unfortunate situation you experience. Focusing on the influence that you do have, and the positive impact you can have on yourself, and others around you, can help you to find hope and move forward.

When you are having trouble finding hope you may ruminate about past situations or worry about the future. When our thoughts are constantly stuck in the past or worrying about the future, it may make us feel more hopeless, anxious, and depressed.

Practicing mindfulness brings us back to the present moment. It involves focusing your attention on the here and now.

Research shows mindfulness practice can help people with stress reduction and finding hope. When you get the hang of mindfulness practice , you are able to take a step back from unhelpful automatic negative thoughts. This helps to cultivate more constructive, and hopeful thoughts.

💡 By the way : If you want to start feeling better and more productive, I’ve condensed the information of 100’s of our articles into a 10-step mental health cheat sheet here. 👇

This Cheat Sheet Will Help You Be Happier and More Productive

Thrive under stress and crush your goals with these 10 unique tips for your mental health.

Finding hope during difficult times can be tough, but not impossible. Life will always throw you unexpected curveballs. What matters is that you are able to find the strength, courage, and resilience to view the situation as a bump in the road, rather than a complete roadblock.

Have you ever felt hopeless but were able to find hope again? What was your strategy to find hope in your situation? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

Writer, athlete, social worker, and professional thrift shopper. Born in Canada, but currently living my dream playing professional soccer in Greece. Passionate about mental health advocacy, sewing, singing, and playing guitar.

1 thought on “4 Tips to Find Hope in a Hopeless Situation (With Examples)”

Good article, meaningful clues, timely help, mainly suggesting about mindfulness. Thank you!

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Finding Hope – 18 Ways to Find Hope When You’re Feeling Down and Out

There are many times in life where I’ve had to find a way to be hopeful again whenever life got me down.

Perhaps that’s just the journey of life. Maybe we’ll all encounter moments where we have to find the strength pick ourselves back up and move forward.

But it can feel incredibly difficult when you’ve had bad break after bad break, and it just seems like nothing will ever go your way.

As I researched on hope, I discovered a psychologist named Martin Seligman was the founder of a theory known as “ learned helplessness ”.

He subjected animals to difficult situations they couldn’t control and they would eventually stop trying to escape. The animals would choose to be passive.

The same is the case when we as humans are subjected to difficult situations. We all experience crushing defeats in life.

We face situations that we can’t change or scary moments that we were unable to prevent being exposed to.

Despite how challenging it may feel, it is possible to regain your hope for the future and get back to living again.

What is hope?

To find it again, it’s important to understand what hope is in the first place. Merriam-Webster defines hope as a “desire with expectation of obtainment or fulfillment.”

We can hope for a lot of things in life. I’ve hoped for happiness in my relationships, abundance in my finances, and overall fulfillment in life.

But sometimes we lose sight of what we really want. Sometimes we stop feeling good and become uninterested in having desires.

You may wonder if there’s any point if you only believe you’ll be disappointed and hurt again.

Why it’s important to find hope

Did you know that feeling hope can actually be good for your body? Hope causes your brain to release endorphins which creates a similar effect as morphine.

Independent Scholar Terry Smalls argues that when you experience that effect, you’re more able to overcome difficulties in your life.

He suggests one of the best ways we can create a sense of hope is through positive stories.

You can take time to read these inspirational comeback stories start jumpstarting your hopefulness again.

How can we find hope again?

Now that you know what hope is and why it’s important to find it, here are some different ways you can rediscover it in your life again.

1. Believe you can achieve your goals

A study found that having hope is generally associated with agency thinking. Agency thinking is defined as the motivation to pursue goals and the belief in one’s ability to achieve them.

So basically, you can create hope within yourself through giving yourself motivation for pursuing your goals and believing you can accomplish them.

Here are two articles that can help you with doing both:

17 Ways To Get Motivated in 2021

15 Steps To Believe in Yourself and Have Success in Life

2. Reflect on past success

Research from The Journal of Positive Psychology found that when people wrote about past experiences where something they hoped for came true, their hope and happiness increased.

Take time to reflect on the things that have gone well for you in your recent and distant past. It can remind you that things haven’t always been bad and that they can always be good again.

3. Practice prayer or meditation

A Wall Street Journal Article on The Science of Prayer points out that scientists have discovered prayer helps to give people a hopeful feeling.

Similarly, science has shown meditation can help make you happier and thus allow you to feel more hopeful feelings.

If you haven’t tried it as much lately, take time to pray or meditation to increase your hope.

4. Use uncertainty as a tool

Feeling uncertain about the future doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing. In fact, it may be just the thing to bring about more hopefulness.

Parents of children with multiple sclerosis used the fact that not much is known about the disease to give them hope their child may have been misdiagnosed and could fully recover.

If individuals in such a difficult and uncertain situation can manage to harness hope out of it, we can too. We may not know what the future holds, but the beauty of not knowing is that it leaves open the possibility that something good could happen.

5. Focus on the positive

Those who have hope and optimism in life usually look for positive images more than negative ones. It’s important to be mindful of the media we consume at all times.

If you constantly look at images of people who are sad, you’re likely going to feel sad. But if you consistently look at images of people who are happy, you’ll likely feel happier and more hopeful.

6. Be creative

Believe it or not, creativity is actually linked to having hope. Researchers concluded that composite hope accurately predicted the creativity of an employee.

But why is it creativity is associated with hope? Some believe it’s because people who are creative have a belief there’s more than one way to achieve one’s desires.

A willingness to be open to multiple different possibilities of making something to work can help you to feel more hope about your circumstances.

7. Find humor

A Texas A&M University stud y concluded that humor may be effect in significant increasing a person’s level of hope.

When participants watched a 15 minute comedy video, their score of hopefulness increased significantly higher than those who didn’t watch.

Sometimes you just need to find something to laugh at to lighten your emotions and allow yourself to feel hope again.

8. Have social support

Science has proven that keep a community of support around you can help develop and maintain hope in your circumstances.

One study found that parents maintained hope through avoiding people who were negative towards them seeking a positive end.

Another study on hope among people trying to bring change in society were able to feel hopeful through being connected with their community.

9. Come up with a clear path

We all need some kind of understanding that the steps we’re taking are ones that can lead to the change we desire. Knowing that helps to give us hope things will get better.

It’ll be difficult to feel motivated to stick to your goals if you’re unable to logically see how the steps you’re taking can lead to a positive outcome.

Start writing down actions you need to start taking daily to get your life together.

10. Find role models who’ve found solutions to your problems

In the history of human existence, hundreds, thousands, and perhaps millions of people have found ways to overcome extreme adversity.

Look for stories on people who got through the challenges you’re dealing with. Find a support group where people can give you encouragement which will help to increase your hope.

If you’re having issues with your mental well-being, here’s some information on where you can find support groups.

You might also enjoy visiting Project Hope Exchange. They have a page where you’ll find people have recorded times they overcame adversity related to life challenges and mental challenges.

11. Do what you can

A good way to break your sense of powerlessness is do something outside of your normal routine.

You can cook dinner, talk to friends, or just simply make your bed. You can take steps that are easy for you to do and see how the actions improve your life.

Once you start successfully doing one thing consistently, it’ll help to build up confidence to do more things.

12. Try some mindfulness

Our thoughts tend to focus on the past things that were painful or didn’t work out. We also worry about the future at times too.

These mental habits will only create more hopelessness in your life. When we feel down in life, it’s difficult for us to focus on positive events or remember times that we were once happy.

Put your attention towards the present moment of what you’re feeling. Focus on your breath and all the sensations of your body.

Here are some free online mindfulness courses that can help you out.

13. Do acts of kindness

Believe it or not, performing kind actions for others can improve your outlook on life and boost your mood

It’s been proven that helping others can make us feel less stressed and more happy. Doing selfless acts consistently may help you feel more connected with people.

You can look into organizations like The World Kindness Movement to inspire you to be kinder.

14. Lean on your faith

Faith has helped people to have hope throughout human history. Trusting a higher power is helping you can give you a sense that you’re not alone.

In moments you find yourself doubting or questioning your beliefs, find a member of your faith whom you respect and talk with them.

It might help to resolve any doubts you have and give you more hope.

15. Read positive news

I’ve mentioned this tip in a previous article, but it’s just as relevant to this article as well.

When you’re constantly draining yourself with all the bad news in the world, you make it harder to feel hopeful.

No matter how much bad stuff is happening now, there’s always some good happening in the world that can inspire us.

In fact, there’s plenty of websites out there that only share those types of good new stories.

Here’s one example. U.S. Marshalls announced they found 39 children who had gone missing in an operation known as “Operation Not Forgotten”.

So often when a child goes missing, it’s hard to find them again or it usually ends in tragedy.

The fact that 39 were found again is almost a miracle. Great things like this happen every day, and you can be inspired to have hope that great things will happen in your life too.

Here’s where you can find more good news stories.

16. Watch some motivational videos

Sometimes hearing a motivating voice or seeing a motivational story can help us to feel more hope in life.

From time to time, I used to like watching videos by motivational speakers like Les Brown or Zig Ziglar.

If motivational speakers aren’t your thing, another motivational video I’ve enjoyed watching often is one on famous failures .

Find a video based on your interests that can motivate you. Maybe there’s one on a successful football player, or one on a successful fashion designer.

The more a video can personally relate to you, the more it can motivate you and give you a sense of optimism for the future.

17. Chase your dreams

When you’re chasing after dreams, it can fill you with hope that one day you’ll make those dreams happen.

I’ve had dreams of being a successful songwriter, and I still have hope that maybe someday I’ll write a song that’s enjoyed all over the world.

What are your dreams in life? Maybe now’s the time to start thinking about how to go after those dreams. It could spark the hope that you’ve been looking for in life.

18. Make small progress

It’s easy to feel hope when you see yourself making progress at something. I think about my weightlifting that I’ve done regularly in the past.

Each week, I was able to lift a larger weight than I did the last week.

It made me feel hope that I’d continue to get stronger and bigger. Maybe for you, your progress could be in something that you want to get better at, such as playing the guitar or learning how to cook

If you put in the time to do those things regularly, there’s a good chance you’ll eventually make progress, and that will give you some hope that you can become really good at it.

Final thoughts on how we hope in hard times

When we think about what hope there is in the world, it can be easy for us to think there is none. But life doesn’t have to be a hopeless situation.

The history of humankind has shown us that despite hard times, we can find a renewal of optimism and move forward with greater joy than ever before.

You can try experiencing some hopefulness through doing one or all of the things that I’ve listed. Be encouraged and inspired to believe that the world can get better and your life can be more joyful today.

Inspirational video on hope

Other helpful articles

How to Avoid Going Crazy in a World That Seems on Fire

41 Ways To Find Peace of Mind and Inner Calm

7 Ways to Stop Struggling in Life and Start Being Happy Again

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An Inspiring Story to Give You Strength in Hard Times

by Asdghik Ashley Melkonian

I want to share an inspiring story of hope that completely changed my mindset during all this Coronavirus madness. It’s the story of the most inspiring man I know. This story has shaped my life in so many ways. It’s a story of perseverance and survival even in the hardest of times.

I hope this story can help remind all of us that we have so much strength inside. We just have to look for it.

When the quarantine first started, I must admit that I was feeling sorry for myself. I went into a few days of self-loathing thinking about all the negative things that I could possibly come up with: the fact that travel came to a complete halt after years of hard work, the fact that I am quarantined in a place that is so far away from my real home and that I don’t know when I will be able to see my loved ones. The list is long and I’m sure all of you reading this have a long list as well.

I think it’s human nature to immediately go into this mood of feeling sorry for ourselves, without realizing that our mindset and positive outlook on life is really all in our hands. It’s really the worst thing we can do in a situation like this, but sometimes it’s easier to get sucked into the negativity instead of fighting it. I hope this inspiring story can help you find strength in hard times.

Inspiring Story Of Hope To Give You Strength In Hard Times

Here’s what happened that completely transformed my outlook:

I got an email from a travel magazine that wanted to interview me for a feature on their site. They sent me a list of questions to answer. One of the questions was: who do you look up to? Is there someone in your life that has inspired you?

I immediately thought about my Grandpa. I remembered the story he used to tell me about his life over and over again when I was a kid.

As some of you may know, I’m originally Armenian and my grandpa is actually a survivor of the Armenian Genocide . When he was just a young kid, he had to flee with his family after seeing horrible things that no human being should see in their life. He arrived in Lebanon with only the clothes on his back leaving absolutely everything behind.

They came to a country that was so different from what they were used to at a time where there was no technology like today. They didn’t speak the language, they had no money and they had no idea how to survive.

They were so poor that they used to share a piece of bread every day for the whole family. No one complained about it. They lived with it because they had no other choice.

My Grandpa didn’t have enough money to go to school, but he was so determined to change his reality. He used to sneak into a nearby school secretly and try to borrow books from other students during break time.

He told me that he used to look for pencils that other students used to throw away. The pencils were so small that he would barely be able to write with them because he couldn’t afford to even have a pencil of his own.

One day, a teacher realized what he was doing and she told him that he can come to school whenever he wants. She gave him a chance to attend classes even though he couldn’t pay for them.

A few months later, he was the top student in the whole school. The teacher was so proud of him, that she wanted to bring him up on stage to congratulate him in front of the whole school. Instead of feeling happy, my grandpa started to cry. The teacher didn’t understand why. She was holding his hand ready to take him up on stage, but he wouldn’t stop crying.

He turned to his teacher and told her that he was ashamed to go on stage because his clothes and shoes were so old and worn out. The teacher insisted that he goes on stage anyway and everyone started to clap for him. That was the day he realized that he can do anything even if all the odds are against him. 

Getting Through Hard Times

My grandpa told me this inspiring story so many times when I was a kid. I don’t know anyone who has been through what he has been through and still came outstanding. He eventually taught himself engineering (yes he learned it on his own without going to college!), he worked for the biggest ship manufacturer in Lebanon, and then started his own business. At some point, he had 100 people reporting to him. He got married, had 5 beautiful kids, and lived until he was 101 years old. 

He lived a long and happy life because he decided to fight to change his reality, even though his reality was so much harder than most of the world.

I remembered this story and started crying. I realized that I come from a family of survivors and fighters. If someone like him can find that amount of internal strength, then none of us have any excuses to feel sorry for ourselves.

Inspiring Stories Of Hope

I always remember this story in hard times and it helps me believe in myself. It gave me courage when I quit my corporate job to start the journey of becoming an entrepreneur when everyone around me thought I was crazy. It gave me courage now during the coronavirus when all our lives suddenly came to a stop.

We are all fighters in some way. We all have this strength inside of us. Don’t spend your time being negative. Spend your time looking for that strength and using it to change your reality.  

If you are reading this story, you probably have a roof over your head. You are sitting on your comfortable couch under your blanket, with a smartphone in your hand and enough food to last you a month.

You are luckier than 80% of the world. Take a moment to think about that. Appreciate what you have. Appreciate the people that are still in your life. I know you hear this expression all the time, but do you ever take the time to think about it for a minute? Maybe the Coronavirus can push you to be grateful for things that you take for granted every single day.

If you lost your income because of Coronavirus, I feel with you. If you are far from your loved ones, I feel with you. But let this be the last day you feel sorry for yourself. Wake up tomorrow with a new attitude. A fighter’s attitude. Trust me it will give you the strength to conquer the world.

Blog / Finding Hope and Purpose in the Midst of Your Suffering

Finding Hope and Purpose in the Midst of Your Suffering

Suffering is an unavoidable part of the human experience. If someone tells you that all you have to do is a, b, and c and no harm will ever come to you, you’re being sold a bill of goods. Demand your money back and run away as fast as you can. Each of us will at some point experience loss, heartache, trauma, depression, anxiety, and misery. Suffering is not reserved for just some people; it comes to us all. Sometimes it comes at our own hand, and other times at the hand of another. However it comes, I encourage you to accept this fact of life rather than try to resist it or avoid it. In fact, I encourage you to embrace the idea of suffering, because it is coming—with or without your permission.

If you are in the midst of great hardship in any form, know this: the trial you are enduring may well lead to your purpose or be the stepping-stone that enables you to achieve greatness. Have you ever read heroic stories of those who overcame seemingly insurmountable odds? Or cheered for those who have suffered great loss but persevered and claimed victory in the end? Or rooted for the underdog? If so, then you have what it takes to be the hero in your own story—to overcome, to persevere, to be the underdog who beats the odds.

If we are willing, even the most severe suffering can produce character in us—the kind of character that emerges only from the fires of intense grief (see James 1:2-4 ). Great duress forms unwavering integrity. Insurmountable odds create unshakable convictions. Dark nights of the soul give birth to a humble heart.

Suffering is not sent down from God above to crush us frail humans. It is a gift in disguise that unlocks the hero within us.

Whether your suffering takes the form of sickness, grief, or violence isn’t what matters most. What matters most is knowing that you can find safe ground again and a renewed purpose after pain has swept you off your feet. You can write the next chapter in your story in any way you wish. You can be the underdog who doesn’t quit, no matter the cost. With every decision you make, you can choose to be the hero—or not. Never give up on your God-given purpose!

My suffering took many forms. One of the most devastating was being raped by my uncle for many years. God didn’t do this to me. I do not shake my fists toward heaven, cursing the Almighty for my wounds. A man took his free will and used it for evil instead of good. Do I believe that God could have slayed my perpetrator in the act at any moment? Yes, I surely do. I don’t know why God didn’t intervene, but I trust him. I have a rock-solid faith in his unending love for me, and I believe he can do all things. Which means that nothing is impossible for those who believe (see Mark 9:23 ). Small and big miracles happen every day. I also know this: all of my suffering in the end has brought me to this place—a place of victory. I am the hero in my own story because I have hope and a purpose.

I am afforded opportunities today not because of a privileged upbringing, but because of all the unbelievable grief I bore. Trust me when I say that suffering does not have to be a dead end. If you’re willing, it can be a door that leads you into a whole new life.

It’s not hard for me to write these words now as I sit in a cozy farmhouse miles away from civilization. No one is more thankful than I am to have this moment of peace. There are no words in the English language to articulate how deeply grateful I feel simply for this moment. All of my suffering has enabled me to enjoy life—to relish it for the precious gift it is—a hundred times more than I would have if I’d never suffered . A simple walk outside among the trees, the hug of a friend, a meal from my fridge, a shower at any time—the smallest things are my greatest joys because I know what it is to suffer.

Nothing can prevent pain from entering our lives, but we must never give up hope. God is for us, not against us (see Romans 8:31 ). When the seas of life rage, he can tame the winds, calm the waters, and bring us safely back to shore. We must not fear doomsday, but boldly live our daily lives with hope. We do that when we allow suffering to do its perfect work within us, drawing us into deeper relationships with others and with our Creator. My most cherished bonds were formed under great stress.

Who I am as a woman, sister, friend, and leader has been shaped by my adversities. I have credibility, not in spite of what I have endured, but precisely because of what I have endured. Who wants to hear about hope or overcoming difficulties from a person who has never struggled?

Suffering is a door that opens to a world of purpose.

Our heartaches can have meaning. Even when life takes every opportunity to crush us into powdered ash, we can choose to look ahead, beyond our current circumstances, beyond the anguish we feel. We press into pain with great expectation, knowing that at some point, the pain will cease. Remember this when you’re experiencing deep despair. In time, things will change.

My years of suffering were measured in decades, but God took something horrendous and made it into something good. How many children, young people, and adults have I encouraged by sharing my journey the last few years? Enough for me to say that my CinderGirl childhood was worth enduring. I believe that with all my heart. It is an honor and privilege to bear the burdens of grief with others. It is my greatest joy to tell others who are suffering that their wounds can be healed, that they too can be filled with hope. I believe that we all have a story to tell, and that God wants to use our stories to empower others—to usher in a global movement of healing and positive change.

It is my greatest desire to take away the suffering of the world. I’d take away your suffering if I could. I hate seeing another human being in pain. I can’t shield you from suffering, but will you allow me to encourage you—to tell you that life isn’t over after a savage blow knocks you to the ground? You can get back up and fight. You can persevere. You can seek light amidst what seems to be crushing darkness.

I can’t shield the world from suffering, but I can work hard in my little corner of it to ensure that those around me are offered fundamental human rights. I can work hard so that abused children have viable options for healing, so they can grow to be healthy and whole adults.

I can’t rid the world of evil on my own, but I can join hands with you and others to face it head on. There are countless ways that we, together, can help our fellow human beings to overcome evil and suffering.

The system that failed me as a child is the one I’ve now dedicated my life to fixing. I have chosen to fight the good fight in the hope that one child at a time will hear my voice and believe that they too can overcome their sufferings. I pray that the flame blazing inside me will ignite a flame within the heart of every suffering child—that they will hear the still small voice of hope and believe that their lives can and will be redeemed from the ashes.

As seen on the TODAY show ! Growing up, she rarely heard her own name. Today, she’s here to help you claim the inherent worth that is yours.

Born into a large working-class family in upstate New York, Christina Meredith endured years of abuse before entering the foster care system as a teenager. With nowhere to turn after she graduated from high school, Christina lived in her car for almost a year, working three jobs to survive.

As she prayed in her car every day, Christina had no idea that in just a few years, she would be crowned Ms. California. She had no idea that her suffering would one day help others find healing. But she did know that she was destined for more, and she would not give up hope no matter the circumstance.

In CinderGirl , Christina tells her piercing and poignant story of leaving behind homelessness to become Ms. California and the founder of a nonprofit organization that provides advocacy for foster care children. With stunning vulnerability, Christina invites us into her childhood home and the heart of a child longing to be loved. She asks us to journey with her across the country and deep into a growing faith. She invites us to dig deeper into our own personal courage, even in the most grim of conditions.

CinderGirl is the riveting story of one young woman’s determination to overcome hardship in order to help others know they are not alone and that they too can achieve anything they dream.

Christina Meredith is a foster care activist, mental health advocate, national speaker, and the founder of the nonprofit Christina Meredith Foundation. A former homeless foster youth who was later named Ms. California, Christina today dedicates herself to protecting children from abuse and advocating for foster care reform. Christina concurrently serves in the US military. Learn more at ChristinaMeredith.org .

Related posts:

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• Good God and Suffering: An Interview with Lucas Miles
• Pushing Through My Season of Suffering
• Two Scriptures I Rely On When Life Hurts—A Reflection from Jack Deere
• The Only Way to Deal with Your Pain and Mistakes

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Finding Hope in the Midst of a Suicide Crisis

How can we help those struggling with mental illness and suicide.

Posted May 19, 2021 | Reviewed by Jessica Schrader

• Suicide Risk Factors and Signs
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• Experience and research show that both faith-based and secular approaches can help those suffering from mental illness and suicidal ideation.
• Every individual in society can help make the difference between life and death in the lives of those they love. 
• Suicide is a disease for which prevention is the only acceptable treatment.

Suicide and mental illness are prevalent and worsening issues in our current culture, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this interview, Matthew Sleeth shares lessons from his book on the importance of prevention and how we can help those struggling seek hope and resilience .

Matthew Sleeth, M.D., a former emergency room physician and chief of the hospital medical staff, resigned from his position to teach, preach, and write about faith and health. Sleeth is the executive director of Blessed Earth and author of numerous articles and books, including Hope Always: How to Be a Force for Live in a Culture of Suicide . He lives in Lexington, Kentucky.

Jamie Aten: Why did you set out to write your book?

Matthew Sleeth: As a physician and a theologian, I wanted to explore two questions:

• Has society’s overemphasis on materialism , status, and power resulted in a world that is unlivable?
• If our suicide rate has increased virtually every year over the past three decades, should our approach to preventing suicide in the future merely be more of the same?

Experience and research show that both faith-based and secular approaches are helpful to those suffering from mental illness and, in particular, suicidal ideation. However, we live in a time where there is a growing divide between the secular and sacred worlds. I wanted to give people a book that offers the best of both.

One of my goals is to help destigmatize mental illness in houses of worship. In the Christian Bible, Jesus makes no distinction between mental and physical illnesses. Both were equally worthy of his attention , compassion, and healing.

As an allopathic physician, I help people in churches understand the benefits of various modalities of behavioral and psychotherapy as well as pharmacologic medicines.

JA: What is the primary takeaway you hope readers will learn from your book?

MS: First, that our current suicide crisis is worse than might be indicated by a measurement of deaths by suicide per 100,000. The current rate of 14/100,000 was last seen in America during the aptly named Great Depression .

However, in the 1930s, most of those who attempted suicide were successful. Most homes didn’t have a phone to use to call for help in the Great Depression. Ambulances didn’t exist. Hospitals by and large didn’t even have emergency departments, much less trained personnel able to identify and counteract toxins and overdoses. Today, with a universal 911 system, paramedics, and trained trauma doctors, some 20% of those who attempt suicide by jumping and firearms can be saved.

A more accurate measurement of the desperation and despair in society is the number of people who are wrestling with whether or not to end their lives (10 million in the coming year), being treated in emergency departments for suicidal ideation or attempts (1.5 million), and being treated for clinical depression (1 out of every 8 adults).

The second takeaway is that we are not helpless or powerless to prevent suicide. Every individual in society can help make the difference between life and death in the lives of those they love.

JA: What are some lessons from your book that can help people live more resiliently?

MS: A majority of human frustration and disappointment results from the gap between our expectations and reality. Life is hard, and disappointments are inevitable. So, one of the first things we can do is manage our expectations.

I am also a great believer in one day of rest per week, regardless of whether one chooses to attend a house of worship on that day. Western society has taken off work and abstained from commerce one day out of seven for the last thousand years or so. The shift to a 24/7 world has only come in the last few decades. Yet, I would be surprised if even a small percentage of counselors ask about the practice of Sabbath-keeping. How could this drastic change in the rhythm of society not have a profound effect on our affect? Today, individuals and families need to be more intentional than ever about building margin into their lives.

Hope Always also encourages people to be more intentional about what they put into their minds. Online streaming services offer a cornucopia of dark, dystopian stories, as do today’s literature, songs, and video gaming. I think past generations had a better appreciation for how the information we consume and the company we keep (real or virtual) affects our psyche.

JA: What are some insights from your book that help readers support a friend or loved one?

MS: First, educate yourself by reading Hope Always or a similar resource. No one wants to talk about things they aren’t knowledgeable about. You’ll feel much better equipped to initiate a difficult but necessary conversation. I don’t pretend to have all the answers, and you don’t need to have all the answers either. But we all have an obligation to help a loved one who is in danger.

Second, not everyone has a degree in medicine or psychology, but it’s been my experience that everyone has a Ph.D. in discerning attitude. If you lead with love, people will know it. Being prepared means you love even more, not less.

Third, Hope Always includes a tool kit in the back filled with practical actions every person and every church can take. If you suspect someone is suicidal, visit, call, and ask questions. Make a playlist or burn a CD of uplifting songs. Invite a lonely or hurting friend to share a meal, take a walk, Sabbath together, or just do something fun.

Your readers can download the Hope Always toolkit . It includes a sample church policy so that every staff member and volunteer knows exactly what to do when they suspect someone may be suicidal.

If you prepare yourself ahead of time and lead with love, you are absolutely equipped to talk with people who are depressed or suicidal. It’s not only an obligation to do so; it’s a sacred privilege. There is no activity that I’ve been involved in as wonderful as saving lives. You don’t have to be an ER physician to do that. We are all our brothers’ and our sisters' keepers.

JA: What are you currently working on these days?

MS: My work over the next year will be getting out into a post-pandemic world and talking about Hope Always . We’ve already begun the work of communicating this message to various church denominations and parachurch organizations. I’ll also be traveling to schools and seminaries. One of my favorite things to do is to stand in front of an auditorium of young folks and do a Q&A. All suicides are tragic, but the suicide of someone at the beginning of their life is doubly so.

Two groups have offered to underwrite films and curriculum based on Hope Always . I’ll be moving forward on that in the next year as well.

Meeting, treating, and reversing the current suicide epidemic can’t be outsourced to one segment of society. All of us—psychologists, schools, churches, businesses, and health care workers—need to work together. Suicide is a disease for which prevention is the only acceptable treatment.

If you or someone you love is contemplating suicide, seek help immediately. For help 24/7, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 1-800-273-TALK, or the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741. To find a therapist near you, see the Psychology Today Therapy Directory .

Jamie Aten , Ph.D. , is the founder and executive director of the Humanitarian Disaster Institute at Wheaton College.

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Finding hope during a pandemic

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This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

Raise your hand if you’ve experienced at least one of these scenarios: Spacing out in front of your computer too often (brain fog included); listlessly staring at your bedroom ceiling at two in the morning, unable to shut your brain off for sleep; or waking up with a surge of heart-pounding anxiety, feeling too paralyzed to move.

Maybe you’ve experienced all of the above, plagued by a general sense of fatigue every day – almost like you’re walking through a swamp full of mud, both physically and mentally.

(Note: These symptoms may be indicative of mental health disorders, which should only be diagnosed by a healthcare professional. Please seek professional help if needed).

When should I see a psychologist? Or a psychiatrist? Or both?

These scenarios, psychologist and relationship counselor Lissy Puno says, are signs of hopelessness – something many of us have been experiencing over a year and a half into the pandemic. It’s that persistent “meh” feeling at the background of everything we do, the fear of believing that things will get better soon, or the thought that nothing will change.

However, this “hopeless” feeling is completely valid and normal given the circumstances, Lissy Ann says. We’ve spent over a year and a half in lockdown, left to our own devices, with no clear end in sight. It’s no wonder we’ve lost hope, and we shouldn’t blame ourselves for that.

It’s okay to not be okay: Losing hope is valid

It’s important to tell yourself that it’s normal to be feeling this way – after all, nothing about these “trying times” is normal. Finding new ways to mentally cope and “pivot” during a traumatic pandemic is already tough enough, coupled with the need to survive, the pressure to thrive, and the fact that the light at the end of this coronavirus tunnel seems dim.

Year one was okay. What’s wrong with a few months stuck at home, baking sourdough, whipping coffee, trying yoga, no longer commuting to work, and hopping on Zoom calls with friends? Some even welcomed this slower pace of home life – until it stretched on for too long.

We’re halfway through 2021 and the pandemic novelty has worn off. We’re tired, amid a third hard lockdown in Metro Manila, rising COVID-19 cases, political debates, work-from-home burnout, and a constant cycle of lockdowns and bad news.

“People are losing hope that things will be better because the uncertainty and the unknowns have just been dragging on for too long,” Lissy told Rappler.

“To stay hopeful, we need to know and see the ‘finish line’ to keep going.  With the pandemic, the ‘finish line’ has been changed too many times in different areas of life that people are feeling hopeless,” she added. This is when clinging onto hope starts to feel ridiculous and fruitless.

The meaning of hope, then and now

According to Lissy, the basic definition of “hope” is the belief that things will get better. On the contrary, “hopelessness” may sound like: “This will never end,” “Nothing will change,” and “We will continue to be in this state for who knows when.”

“In these times, there are glimpses of what may help keep us hopeful,” Lissy said, such as the loosening of quarantine restrictions, opportunities to finally connect with people, a decrease in cases, the re-opening of favorite establishments, or the possibility of travel. “But then those go away, and there is a lot of disappointment that takes away hope of what we envision moving forward,” Lissy added. In a way, hope becomes tiring.

Lissy notes that hopelessness is something we’ve all experienced, even prior to the pandemic, due to the “usual stressors, like traffic, finances, job security, being in relationships, raising families, and so on.”

“When this became too much, we engaged in activities that brought joy, happiness and hope,” she said. Now, all of that is taken away. 

“We have lost our usual stress-busters and coping mechanisms that would bring us renewed hope every time,” Lissy said, which are now hard (or even impossible) to look forward to due to the pandemic.

Cabin fever in lockdown? What it is and what you can do about it

Had a stressful day at the office? Maybe calling up your friends to meet over drinks was your go-to decompressor. Mental block at work? Take a break at your favorite coffee shop. Need to clear your head before heading home from work? There’s nothing a leisurely stroll around the mall and some retail therapy can’t fix. Going through a break-up? Book a trip with your girlfriends and head to the beach.

The pandemic has come with its own share of stressors, but our coping mechanisms have now just been limited to within our four walls.

Lissy quotes American psychologist C.R. Snyder, who defines hope as the “belief that there is the possibility of a better future,” and “the knowledge of the possibility of something better.” It was easier to hope for things to be better back then; we had the choice to switch up our routine the next day, or the agency to plan a fun weekend with loved ones, knowing for certain that’s all we’d need to feel better again.

Hope now comes at a deeper level and at higher prices. “We hope that this will pass, hope that I will find a job, hope that I can cope with my financial obligations, hope that the right partner will come my way, hope that me and my family will stay healthy, hope that everyone gets the vaccination, hope that we will emerge from this pandemic, and just hope that no one dies,” Lissy said.

Are you hopeful or hopeless?

According to C.R. Synder, an individual with a “strong sense of hope” uses hope to manage their worries, stress, and negative thoughts, reassuring themselves that “things will get better.” They are motivated to stay positive by looking for things that make them happy. 

“Hopeful people also plan for their future – both near and far – and make choices to help them achieve their goals/dreams. Hopeful people take charge of moving forward,” Lissy said. It’s also important to note that there is no definite timeline for “moving forward” – do it at your own pace.

If your goal is to stay connected, this could be something as simple as scheduling a virtual game night with your friends. If your dream is to launch your own online business, blocking off a few hours to do research is a small but impactful step. If the goal is just to get through the work day, simply writing a to-do list is enough. Even just setting aside “me time” every night is something hopeful individuals do.

On the other hand, Lissy says that an “individual who is hopeless” is one who cannot find the silver lining in any situation, and doesn’t have the mental capacity to reassure themselves that small inconveniences are not the end of the world. A “hopeless” individual could easily take constructive criticism as a sign that their job is at stake, and not alternatively think that this could just be an opportunity to perform better next time around. A break-up could be misconstrued as a failure on their part, instead of thinking that they deserve someone better.

“These people also avoid life experiences that can turn things around for the better, or small choices that can help them. They tend to focus on the negative,” Lissy said. It’s normal to experience feelings of sadness, disappointment, and self-pity from time to time. However, if left unchecked and unprocessed, individuals may end up wallowing in these negative states for too long, which could lead to anxiety and/or depression.

Hope is not something that is obtained externally; it is something found, awakened, or honed from within. This is what Lissy calls the “Powerful Self” – a mode that enables us to see the world and our experiences in a hopeful, positive light.

“The Powerful Self is usually the competent self versus the helpless/hopeless mode of self. These modes of self make us see things, think of things, feel things, and act in a certain way based on this mode,” Lissy said.

“If I see a situation with my Powerful Self, that experience will most likely be satisfying and fulfilling.  If I see a situation with my helpless/hopeless self, the experience would be filled with worry, anxiety, and with a sense of failure and dread,” she added.

You might feel like working extra hard is the only way to “achieve” it, but the Powerful Self isn’t something external from you. The Powerful Self is already within. Lovingly and patiently allow it to emerge by fostering and embracing the following qualities:

• Competent. “I can handle whatever life throws my way. I got this. ” According to Lissy, a competent individual “believes they have the capability to cope with whatever experiences and problems the day may have in store.”
• Growing. “There is something I can learn from this.” “What is this situation telling me?” Having a growth mindset (and not a “woe is me” victim mentality) is crucial to stay hopeful. This person can “improve, understand, and see things in a positive perspective,” and understand that “the possibilities are still limitless.”
• Nurturing. “I can take care of myself and the needs of others.” “How can I better care for myself?” Before caring for their loved ones, the Powerful Self understands the importance of caring for one’s self by listening to their own needs and respecting their boundaries.
• Compassionate. “I can be kind to myself and accept myself for who I am.” “I respect and empower myself .” Tough times call for more kindness, especially to yourself. When we start becoming more compassionate to ourselves, we become the same to others.

Despite these dire circumstances, daily choices can help soothe the anxiety that comes from feeling helpless. Aside from your usual arsenal of coping mechanisms – whether that be exercise, professional therapy, self-help books, or prayer – Lissy Ann shares five small steps to keeping the hope alive.

• Create new dreams that you can plan for. 
• Look for positive mentors, friends, public figures, or family members who stayed hopeful during their challenges. Reach out.
• Listen or read inspiring messages of hope. You can check out TED Talks on YouTube, join online spiritual communities, or read poetry.
• Allow yourself to discover new things about yourself and others. Keep an open mind. Connect.
• Look for your silver linings during the pandemic. Practice giving every situation the benefit of the doubt.
• Practice gratitude daily. Something as simple as writing down five things you’re thankful for every morning – from the roof over your head, to your health, and even to your cup of coffee – can help set the tone of your day.

Can’t stand change? Lissy Ann says: Look for your constants. Keep your friends, family, and pets close, and don’t forget to rely on yourself for daily self-care – having a routine helps. In this chaos, try to find your calm.

Confused? Seek clarity. Only read news from trusted media outlets, and tune out the rest. Practice social media hygiene by avoiding constant doom-scrolling and taking necessary breaks.

Feeling out of control? Anxiety preys on our need for control and our fear of uncertainty, so try to focus on the things that you can control, like your daily habits, reactions, choices, intentions, and actions. Accept and surrender what you can’t change.

Concerned? Be careful. Continue taking care of your physical and mental health, and don’t forget to be honest. Sharing your fears and anxieties with others is not a sign of weakness. Opening up is strength.

The light at the end of the tunnel may seem hard to find right now, but despite the darkness, we still choose to get up every day. That alone is a sign that we haven’t given up hope, and that we believe that better things are on their way. Hold on to hope – no matter what it looks like to you – because on most days, it’s all you need to get by. – Rappler.com

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Tips for Writing an Effective Application Essay

How to Write an Effective Essay

Writing an essay for college admission gives you a chance to use your authentic voice and show your personality. It's an excellent opportunity to personalize your application beyond your academic credentials, and a well-written essay can have a positive influence come decision time.

Want to know how to draft an essay for your college application ? Here are some tips to keep in mind when writing.

Tips for Essay Writing

A typical college application essay, also known as a personal statement, is 400-600 words. Although that may seem short, writing about yourself can be challenging. It's not something you want to rush or put off at the last moment. Think of it as a critical piece of the application process. Follow these tips to write an impactful essay that can work in your favor.

1. Start Early.

Few people write well under pressure. Try to complete your first draft a few weeks before you have to turn it in. Many advisers recommend starting as early as the summer before your senior year in high school. That way, you have ample time to think about the prompt and craft the best personal statement possible.

You don't have to work on your essay every day, but you'll want to give yourself time to revise and edit. You may discover that you want to change your topic or think of a better way to frame it. Either way, the sooner you start, the better.

2. Understand the Prompt and Instructions.

Before you begin the writing process, take time to understand what the college wants from you. The worst thing you can do is skim through the instructions and submit a piece that doesn't even fit the bare minimum requirements or address the essay topic. Look at the prompt, consider the required word count, and note any unique details each school wants.

3. Create a Strong Opener.

Students seeking help for their application essays often have trouble getting things started. It's a challenging writing process. Finding the right words to start can be the hardest part.

Spending more time working on your opener is always a good idea. The opening sentence sets the stage for the rest of your piece. The introductory paragraph is what piques the interest of the reader, and it can immediately set your essay apart from the others.

4. Stay on Topic.

One of the most important things to remember is to keep to the essay topic. If you're applying to 10 or more colleges, it's easy to veer off course with so many application essays.

A common mistake many students make is trying to fit previously written essays into the mold of another college's requirements. This seems like a time-saving way to avoid writing new pieces entirely, but it often backfires. The result is usually a final piece that's generic, unfocused, or confusing. Always write a new essay for every application, no matter how long it takes.

5. Think About Your Response.

Don't try to guess what the admissions officials want to read. Your essay will be easier to write─and more exciting to read─if you’re genuinely enthusiastic about your subject. Here’s an example: If all your friends are writing application essays about covid-19, it may be a good idea to avoid that topic, unless during the pandemic you had a vivid, life-changing experience you're burning to share. Whatever topic you choose, avoid canned responses. Be creative.

6. Focus on You.

Essay prompts typically give you plenty of latitude, but panel members expect you to focus on a subject that is personal (although not overly intimate) and particular to you. Admissions counselors say the best essays help them learn something about the candidate that they would never know from reading the rest of the application.

7. Stay True to Your Voice.

Use your usual vocabulary. Avoid fancy language you wouldn't use in real life. Imagine yourself reading this essay aloud to a classroom full of people who have never met you. Keep a confident tone. Be wary of words and phrases that undercut that tone.

8. Be Specific and Factual.

Capitalize on real-life experiences. Your essay may give you the time and space to explain why a particular achievement meant so much to you. But resist the urge to exaggerate and embellish. Admissions counselors read thousands of essays each year. They can easily spot a fake.

9. Edit and Proofread.

When you finish the final draft, run it through the spell checker on your computer. Then don’t read your essay for a few days. You'll be more apt to spot typos and awkward grammar when you reread it. After that, ask a teacher, parent, or college student (preferably an English or communications major) to give it a quick read. While you're at it, double-check your word count.

Writing essays for college admission can be daunting, but it doesn't have to be. A well-crafted essay could be the deciding factor─in your favor. Keep these tips in mind, and you'll have no problem creating memorable pieces for every application.

What is the format of a college application essay?

Generally, essays for college admission follow a simple format that includes an opening paragraph, a lengthier body section, and a closing paragraph. You don't need to include a title, which will only take up extra space. Keep in mind that the exact format can vary from one college application to the next. Read the instructions and prompt for more guidance.

Most online applications will include a text box for your essay. If you're attaching it as a document, however, be sure to use a standard, 12-point font and use 1.5-spaced or double-spaced lines, unless the application specifies different font and spacing.

How do you start an essay?

The goal here is to use an attention grabber. Think of it as a way to reel the reader in and interest an admissions officer in what you have to say. There's no trick on how to start a college application essay. The best way you can approach this task is to flex your creative muscles and think outside the box.

You can start with openers such as relevant quotes, exciting anecdotes, or questions. Either way, the first sentence should be unique and intrigue the reader.

What should an essay include?

Every application essay you write should include details about yourself and past experiences. It's another opportunity to make yourself look like a fantastic applicant. Leverage your experiences. Tell a riveting story that fulfills the prompt.

What shouldn’t be included in an essay?

When writing a college application essay, it's usually best to avoid overly personal details and controversial topics. Although these topics might make for an intriguing essay, they can be tricky to express well. If you’re unsure if a topic is appropriate for your essay, check with your school counselor. An essay for college admission shouldn't include a list of achievements or academic accolades either. Your essay isn’t meant to be a rehashing of information the admissions panel can find elsewhere in your application.

How can you make your essay personal and interesting?

The best way to make your essay interesting is to write about something genuinely important to you. That could be an experience that changed your life or a valuable lesson that had an enormous impact on you. Whatever the case, speak from the heart, and be honest.

Is it OK to discuss mental health in an essay?

Mental health struggles can create challenges you must overcome during your education and could be an opportunity for you to show how you’ve handled challenges and overcome obstacles. If you’re considering writing your essay for college admission on this topic, consider talking to your school counselor or with an English teacher on how to frame the essay.

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Finding Hope in Jesus

Easter Sunday is the day we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is a glorious day that reminds us of the events that took place 2000 years ago in Jerusalem. This day we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. This leads us to share this message of finding hope in Jesus.

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Watch the video of this webcast at https://www.celllifechurch.tv/finding-hope-in-jesus/

We are going to look at the events of the day and the seemingly hopeless situation the followers of Jesus found themselves in. We will compare their hopelessness to the hopelessness of the world today. After that, we will share finding hope in Jesus and his resurrection. That same hope is what we can have today.

The World is Searching for Hope

Looking around the world today we see hopelessness in people’s eyes everywhere. The current global pandemic regarding COVID-19 or coronavirus that has us all sheltering in place in our homes. The rapid spread of this virus is enough by itself to zap many people’s hope. The precautions and dire preventative measures being prescribed by experts and governments can bring real fear to people and remove hope from. This is not the only thing that can take away our hope.

Some are receiving a cancer diagnosis for the first time and some are receiving it for the second, third, or fourth time. They thought they had cancer beaten, but here it is back again. There are also people around the world starving because there is no food or clean water. They are watching their children die of starvation or from diseases carried in dirty contaminated water.

Of course, we cannot forget the wars and the persecution that is happening around the world. There is so much bloodshed and a lack of peace and goodwill everywhere it seems.

Any of these things can cause anyone to feel hopeless and not know where to turn. It is so easy to lose our hope. The disciples, Jesus’ own followers, also lost hope almost immediately after his crucifixion on a Roman cross 2000 years ago.

The Disciples Lost Hope After the Crucifixion

Let’s read Luke 24:13-21

Luke 24:13-21

(13) Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. (14) They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. (15) As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; (16) but they were kept from recognizing him. (17) He asked them, “ What are you discussing together as you walk along? ” They stood still, their faces downcast. (18) One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” (19) “ What things? ” he asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. (20) The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; (21) but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place.

The disciples didn’t know what was going to happen to them after Jesus was crucified. They scattered once he died on the cross. Some even scattered before he was nailed to the cross. They left when he was arrested. Their focus was shifted from Jesus to themselves and their own situation. They dwelt on their own predicament and loss and this is what drowned out the hope from their life.

Many returned to what their old self and life. We can read later on that Peter had returned to fishing. These two were traveling back away from Jerusalem lamenting their situation and not knowing what to do next.

The Resurrection Happens

Where did the disciples find hope again? The resurrection happened. The women find the empty tomb when they went to anoint Jesus’ body with perfume and oil. The angels there said, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” Let’s read Luke 24:1-9.

Luke 24:1-9

(1) On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. (2) They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, (3) but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. (4) While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. (5) In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? (6) He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: (7) ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'” (8) Then they remembered his words. (9) When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others.

The angels encouraged them. They reminded them of what Jesus had told them. This got them out of thinking about what had happened and looking back toward Jesus and what he had taught them. They received some hope. They went to share this with the others who were gathered and to give them hope. But it didn’t. This is an important point. You cannot force hope onto someone. They must be willing to have hope. If you are not searching for hope, you will not find it. If you only look at past failures, current situations, and unfortunate circumstances, you will not find hope. Let’s read Luke 24 11-12.

Luke 24:11-12

(11) But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. (12) Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

The disciples and the others had set aside what Jesus had told them and taught them. They took their focus off of Jesus and centered it directly on themselves and their situation. I’m sure many were asking, “Am I next to be crucified?” But, something in Peter caused him to run to the tomb and see for himself. He must have still had a glimmer of hope. He saw the empty tomb for himself and wandered away wondering to himself what had happened. At least he was thinking about more than the death of Jesus.

Jesus Appears

Now we return to the two disciples who were walking on the road to Emmaus. Remember, Jesus was walking with them but his identity was concealed from them. When they reach Emmaus they invited him in for a meal and to rest for the night because it was late. It was then they realized who had been walking and talking with them all afternoon. Let’s read Luke 24:28-35.

Luke 24:28-35

(28) As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. (29) But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. (30) When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. (31) Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. (32) They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” (33) They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together (34) and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” (35) Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.

The Disciples Now Understood

They now understood the miracle that took place. Jesus reminded them of who he was and is. If you read the entire text of their walk with him you will read how Jesus taught them from the beginning all the way through the prophets and reminded them of what he was going to have to endure, all for their benefit.

They now understand Jesus’ teachings up to this point. The disciples now have a deeper understanding of Jesus’ life, ministry, and mission. They also now know what they must do. They must go tell the others and they must share their newfound hope. The hope that Jesus had always taught them about was now possible again. It was even more than possible, they now knew they could always have hope because Jesus had beaten death, Hell, and the grave. He rose victorious. He is their Messiah and Lord. Their problem was in their personal thinking and what they thought the Messiah’s coming would look like and what he would do. God’s plan was different.

You can continue reading and you will see that thousands witnessed Jesus after his resurrection. He continued to perform miracles and teach the ways of the kingdom of Heaven. He then ascended to Heaven to be at the right hand of God until it was time to come and call us all to meet him in the sky.

We find hope in Jesus. He is the source of all our hope. There is no other name in Heaven and on earth that has the power to save us from our sin and return us to a right relationship with God. He is the only way. His is the only plan for the redemption of mankind from sin. Are you searching for hope this Easter? Look to Jesus. Have you lost your hope and given up on Jesus because of something that has happened at the hand of someone in the Church? Look to Jesus. Have you never had lasting hope? You need Jesus.

We receive lasting hope by putting our focus on Jesus. We keep our hope by staying focused on Jesus and making Him our personal Lord and Savior.

Maybe today you are asking, “How do I make Jesus my personal Lord and Savior?” It is not enough to believe Jesus existed. It is not enough to believe Jesus was raised from the dead and is in Heaven with God waiting to return. Satan, the devil, even knows and believes that. Knowledge and belief are not enough. We must accept his sacrifice as sufficient to pay for all our sins once and for all and we must make him Lord of our life as well. To do that, just ask him. Bow your heart and submit your will Jesus. Ask him to receive you. Ask him to be Lord of your life. Allow him to direct your paths. Listen for his voice. Let’s read this last piece of scripture, John 10:24-30.

John 10:24-30

(24) The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” (25) Jesus answered, “ I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, (26) but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. (27) My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. (28) I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. (29) My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. (30) I and the Father are one. “

We encourage you to pray and ask Jesus to be your personal Lord and Savior. If you pray that and make Jesus your personal Lord and Savior, congratulations! Welcome to the family of God! Now tell someone! Please tell us, also! We have a link at the top of our website that says, “ I said Yes! to Jesus ”. Go there and let us know who you are and where you are. We would love to celebrate with you and get to know you.

We stand on Jesus’ promise to return as our ultimate hope.

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After a writer expressed sympathy for Israelis in an essay, all hell broke loose at a literary journal

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What are the limits of empathy in war?

That’s the question that Joanna Chen, a liberal writer and translator who is Jewish and lives in Israel, probed in an essay about her struggles since Oct. 7 to connect with Palestinians.

“It is not easy to tread the line of empathy, to feel passion for both sides,” she wrote in the literary journal Guernica , explaining that she briefly stopped her volunteer work driving Palestinian children to Israeli hospitals for lifesaving medical care.

“How could I continue after Hamas had massacred and kidnapped so many civilians,” she asked, noting that the dead included a fellow volunteer, a longtime peace activist named Vivian Silver. “And I admit, I was afraid for my own life.”

The essay, titled “From the Edges of a Broken World,” provoked an uproar in the activist literary world. Over the weekend, more than a dozen of the publication’s staff resigned in protest — and Guernica removed the essay from its website.

“Guernica regrets having published this piece, and has retracted it,” the magazine said in a statement . “A more fulsome explanation will follow.”

Among those who quit was the co-publisher, Madhuri Sastry, who wrote on X that the essay was “a hand-wringing apologia for Zionism and the ongoing genocide in Palestine.”

Sastry also called for the resignation of the editor in chief, Jina Moore Ngarambe, a veteran foreign correspondent. Ngarambe did not respond to requests for comment.

In a statement to The Times on Tuesday, Chen said: “Removing any stories and silencing any voices is the opposite of progress and the opposite of literature.”

“Today, people are afraid to listen to voices that do not perfectly mirror their own,” she said. “But ignorance begets hatred. My essay is an opening to a dialogue that I hope will emerge when the shouting dies down.”

The retraction of the essay comes as a new generation of activists in the literary world frames the conflict in the Middle East as a black-and-white battle between two sides — oppressor and oppressed — and pressures institutions to boycott Israeli or Zionist writers.

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In January, protesters from Writers Against the War on Gaza disrupted a PEN America event in Los Angeles featuring actor Mayim Bialik, who supports Israel and opposes a cease-fire. Last month, the Jewish Book Council, a nonprofit that promotes Jewish writers and stories, launched an initiative for authors, publishers, agents and others to report antisemitic incidents in the world of publishing — from “getting review-bombed because their book includes Jewish content” to “threats of intimidation and violence.”

For many activists, giving voice to opposing points of view or conveying empathy for Israeli victims of Hamas amounts to both-sidesism that glosses over power imbalances. Israel says that Hamas killed about 1,200 people on Oct. 7, prompting an invasion that authorities in Gaza say has killed more than 31,000 people.

On X, Guernica’s former fiction editor, Ishita Marwah, slammed Chen’s essay as a “rank piece of genocide apologia” and condemned Guernica as “a pillar of eugenicist white colonialism masquerading as goodness.”

Grace Loh Prasad, a Taiwanese-born writer based in the Bay Area who published an excerpt of her new memoir in Guernica last week, wrote : “I am alarmed & upset that my writing has appeared alongside an essay that attempts to convey empathy for a colonizing, genocidal power.”

Hua Xi, Guernica’s former interviews editor, singled out a passage in which Chen describes a neighbor telling her she tried to calm her children who were frightened by the sound of military planes flying over their house: I tell them these are good booms.

Chen writes: “ She grimaced, and I understood the subtext, that the Israeli army was bombing Gaza.”

For Xi, quoting an Israeli calling bombs “good booms” undermines Guernica’s “premise that they are holding space for Palestinian writers.”

Rather than just disagree, these activists are calling for the silencing of voices they view as harmful.

On social media, an activist accused Chen of “both-sidesing genocide.” Another condemned Chen, who was born in Britain and moved to Israel with her parents when she was 16, as “a settler who has settler genocidal friends and raised settler genocidal children.”

‘This is not a pro-Hamas protest’: Palestinian Americans fight charges of antisemitism

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Dec. 21, 2023

Established in 2004 amid the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Guernica was founded as an unabashedly antiwar, anti-imperialist publication, according to one of its founders, Josh Jones.

The journal took its name from a Lower East Side bar where two of the founders participated in a reading series, and Picasso’s iconic painting depicting the horror of the 1937 bombing of the Basque town in northern Spain.

Guernica’s leaders did not always agree on what it meant to be antiwar — particularly as a growing wave of pro-Palestinian activists called for not platforming pro-Israeli voices.

Sastry wrote on X that over the last few months she urged Guernica’s leaders to “commit to cultural boycotts” organized by pro-Palestinian activists. They disagreed, she wrote, telling staff in an email that “Guernica’s political projects can be found in what we publish.”

For the record:

8:23 a.m. March 13, 2024 An earlier version of this article said Madhuri Sastry flagged concerns about a Joanna Chen story published in Guernica’s “Voices on Palestine” compilation. The story was published but not included in the collection.

But Sastry did not always like what the magazine published. Even before this week, she said, she raised concerns about a previous story by Chen that was being considered for the magazine’s “Voices on Palestine” compilation. It was ultimately excluded.

At the same time, Guernica’s editors received complaints that their magazine lacked a complexity of voices and was too pro-Palestinian.

Emily Fox Kaplan, an essayist and journalist who is Jewish and has written for Guernica since 2020, wrote on X that “the only mistake Guernica made was not publishing a wide variety of voices” on the Israel-Palestinian issue “from day one.”

“The problem, when it really comes down to it, is that it presents an Israeli as human,” Kaplan wrote of Chen’s essay. “The people who are losing their minds about this want to believe that there are no civilians in Israel. They want a simple good guys/bad guys binary, and this creates cognitive dissonance.”

Other writers accused activists who attacked Chen’s essay of “bareknuckled antisemitism” and Guernica of “ taking its cue from Joe McCarthy and MAGA book burners .”

“God forbid someone might think Israelis are complex human beings, and not just demons,” said Lahav Harkov, a senior political correspondent at Jewish Insider.

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Chen said in her statement to The Times that she did not realize the essay was sparking more than usual criticism until Saturday evening when a friend texted to alert her that one of the Guernica editors had resigned. She reached out to the editor in chief that evening and they spoke briefly Sunday morning.

“Since then, nothing,” she said.

“Guernica claims to be ‘a home for singular voices, incisive ideas, and critical questions’ but apparently there is no longer space in this home for a real conversation,” Chen said. “But I do not regard this as a missed opportunity: my words are being read and the door is still, in fact, open.”

Her essay, which is available on the Internet archive , Wayback Machine, offers a personal account of living in Israel before and after Oct. 7.

She wrote that she struggled to assimilate when she moved to Israel. Two years later, at 18, she chose not to serve in the Israel Defense Forces. Besides her volunteer work with Road to Recovery, which provides transportation for Palestinian children to hospitals, she describes donating blood to the people of Gaza. She also translated and edited the poems of Palestinian poets, believing their voices were “just as important” as the voices she translated from Hebrew.

After Oct. 7, Chen wrote, “I listened to interviews with survivors; I watched videos of atrocities committed by Hamas in southern Israel and reports about the rising number of innocent civilians killed in a devastated Gaza.”

She described holding a space in her mind for the victims in both Israel and Gaza: “At night, I lay in bed on my back in the dark, listening to rain against the window. I wondered if the Israeli hostages underground, the children and women, had any way of knowing the weather had turned cold, and I thought of the people of Gaza, the children and women, huddled inside tents supplied by the UN or looking for shelter.”

When a fellow volunteer expressed anger that Palestinians she had helped did not reach out after Oct. 7, Chen did not take sides.

“The Palestinians in the West Bank were struggling with their own problems: closure, the inability to work, the threat of widescale arrests being made by the Israeli army, and harassment by settlers,” she wrote. “No one was safe.”

Two weeks after Oct. 7, Chen writes, she resumed volunteering for Road to Recovery, ignoring her family’s fears for her safety, and drove a Palestinian boy and his father to an Israeli hospital. When they exited her car and the child’s father thanked her, she wrote, she wanted to tell him: “ No, thank you for trusting me with your child. Thank you for reminding me that we can still find empathy and love in this broken world.”

For activists who object to the very existence of Israel, Chen’s liberal framing — and refusal to take a stance — is inherently problematic: They say that the focus on finding empathy and love in a broken world ultimately justifies the status quo.

In her critique of the essay, April Zhu, former senior editor for interviews, wrote the essay starts “from a place that ostensibly acknowledges the ‘shared humanity’ of Palestinians and Israelis, yet fails or refuses to trace the shape of power — in this case, a violent, imperialist, colonial power — that makes the systematic and historic dehumanization of Palestinians ... a non-issue.”

Some argued that Chen’s liberal perspective was more problematic than any conservative voice.

“I find open warmongering less nauseating than this sort of self-pitying faux-bleeding heart claptrap,” wrote an independent filmmaker from L.A. “The fascist propagandist is at least honest. The liberal propagandist never shuts up about how tormented they are by the terrible *complexity* of it all. Get over yourself.”

More to Read

Letters to the Editor: ‘War is hell’ is an awful excuse to keep killing Palestinians

Feb. 29, 2024

Opinion: How the fight against antisemitism is now used to promote an ‘anti-woke’ agenda

Jan. 24, 2024

Israel’s media mostly keep Gaza’s human toll out of sight

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Riley Strain’s parents hopeful they will find son who ‘stands out in a crowd’

Riley Strain’s mother and stepfather aren’t giving up hope that they will eventually find their 22-year-old son, who has been missing since March 8 .

“We’re still, you know, actively planning to bring Riley home with us,” Strain’s stepfather, Chris Whiteid, told NBC News in an interview Saturday, just over a week since his stepson went missing in Nashville, Tennessee.

Strain's bank card was found Sunday on the embankment between Gay Street and the Cumberland River, near the riverbank where he was last seen, police said in an update on X , perhaps providing a clue that will bring Strain's parents one step closer to locating their missing son.

But even as they confront their darkest moment, Chris Whiteid and his wife, Michelle Whiteid, said the outpouring of support and the search efforts of those in the community have “restored our faith in people.”

“We’ve had some really good volunteer organizations that have reached out to us, helped us,” Chris Whiteid said.

Michelle and Chris Whiteid arrived in Nashville on March 9 to try to figure out what happened after Strain was removed from Luke’s 32 Bridge Food + Drink — a bar owned by country singer Luke Bryan — in downtown Nashville.

The bar said in a statement that security escorted Strain out “based on our conduct standards,” and that he exited the front door at 9:35 p.m. According to the statement, Strain was served only one alcoholic drink and two waters while he was there.

“It’s hard to be away from home, but we wouldn’t be anywhere else,” Michelle Whiteid said, with her husband adding that it’s “as comforting as it can be” to be in the city where their son was last seen.

Strain, a senior at the University of Missouri, was visiting the city on a trip with his fraternity, Delta Chi, for a spring formal.

More coverage of Riley Strain's disappearance

• University of Missouri student, 22, missing after he was asked to leave Nashville bar during fraternity trip
• Nashville bar says missing Mizzou student was served only 1 drink before he disappeared
• Officials investigate if missing Missouri student Riley Strain was overserved at Nashville bar

Police said he was last seen on security camera footage just before 10 p.m. on March 8. In the video, he appears to sway before doing a 360-degree turn and continuing to walk.

He told his friends he would return to their hotel after leaving Luke’s 32 Bridge, Chris Whiteid told NBC affiliate  WSMV of Nashville , but Strain never made it there.

At 9:47 p.m., Strain was seen on security footage released by the Metro Nashville Police Department crossing 1st Avenue North to Gay Street, which is about 0.7 miles from Luke’s 32 Bridge and in the opposite direction of the Tempo Hotel, where he and his friends were staying.

The last video police have of Strain is from 9:52 p.m., in which he is seen walking north between the James Robertson Parkway and Woodland Street Bridge, Robert Nielsen, a sergeant with Nashville police, said Thursday. Other cameras in the area did not pick up on Strain’s route, and Nielsen said police are searching for more nearby cameras they might have missed to continue gathering information on Strain’s whereabouts.

Nielsen said Thursday there was no sign of foul play at this point, and it was still a missing person investigation. A search mission by ground, air and along the riverbank near where Strain was last seen has been ongoing.

Chris Whiteid said he and his wife have “struggled” with sparse information and short updates from the police and detectives on the case over the last week, but he acknowledged the national attention on the case has been overwhelming for all those involved.

“This case is getting a lot of information brought in, and it is taxing on them. But it’s also taxing on us, not getting more updates of what’s going on,” Chris Whiteid said.

Don Aaron, a spokesperson for the MNPD, said Sunday that the department is continuing to "evaluate leads and tips from the public" in its search for Strain.

Barge operators are "keeping an eye" on the Cumberland River and the Aviation Unit has been flying over the river to look for any signs of Strain, Aaron said. Additionally, police boats with sonar capabilities have been on the river to aid in the search, and emergency management resources were searching the water on Saturday.

For now, “we continue to search,” Chris Whiteid said, adding that the family has “had some amazing support” from volunteer organizations — including the United Cajun Navy and A Voice for the Voiceless — that have aided in their quest to find their son, on top of people in the area who are handing out flyers, “doing anything they can to help find Riley.”

United Cajun Navy Vice President Brian Trascher said the group has conducted searches via boat on the river near where Strain was last seen.

Whitney Sich from A Voice for the Voiceless said their group has been assisting in the search for Strain "since day one," helping to create and distribute flyers with information and raise awareness nationwide, as well as having members from the group participate in "boots on the ground" searches for Strain in Nashville.

The Whiteids said they have also been focusing their search around where their son was last spotted.

“We’re very hopeful and we’re moving forward as, you know, he’s coming home and we’re graduating in May and life goes on just as normal,” Chris Whiteid said.

He added that they have no idea where Strain might be.

“If I knew that, we’d have him right now,” Chris Whiteid said.

Strain, a finance and business major, is a financial planning intern at Northwestern Mutual and plans to continue the internship after graduating from the University of Missouri, his stepfather said.

Chris Whiteid said his stepson, who he said is 6-foot-7 and weighs 155-160 pounds with blond hair and blue eyes, “stands out in a crowd.”

“Riley was the guy that knew no strangers,” Chris Whiteid continued, adding that Strain “would walk up to people, talk to them, full of life,” and is “energetic, had charisma.”

“Everybody loved Riley just because he didn’t care who you were, what group you were with. He was Riley, and you were whoever you were,” Chris Whiteid said.

Michelle Whiteid said her son is “very involved with family” and would often pay visits to aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents when he was visiting from school on the weekends.

Strain’s dad, stepmom, stepsister and stepbrother are also in Nashville to help look for him.

“We’re all leaning on each other,” Michelle Whiteid said. “We’re just a really close family — all of us are.”

Rebecca Cohen is a breaking news reporter for NBC News.

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Opinion Guest Essay

If There’s One Thing Trump Is Right About, It’s Republicans

Credit... Mike Osborne for The New York Times

Supported by

By Peter Wehner

Mr. Wehner, a senior fellow at the Trinity Forum, is a contributing Opinion writer.

• March 10, 2024

For the thousandth time, the Republican Party refused an off-ramp that would free itself from Donald Trump. As long as he’s around, it never will.

In this year’s presidential primary campaign, the party had the chance to nominate Nikki Haley, a successful, conservative former two-term governor of South Carolina. Unlike Mr. Trump’s, her public career hasn’t been characterized by a lifetime of moral squalor. And many polls show she would be a more formidable candidate against President Biden than Mr. Trump. No matter. Mr. Trump decimated Ms. Haley, most recently on Super Tuesday. She suspended her campaign the next day. But she never had a chance.

The Republican Party has grown more radical, unhinged and cultlike every year since Mr. Trump took control of it. In 2016 there was outrage among Republicans after the release of the “Access Hollywood” tape. On the tape, in words that shocked the nation, Mr. Trump said that when you’re a star, “you can do anything. Grab ’em by the pussy. You can do anything.”

In 2023, Mr. Trump was found liable for sexual abuse. What some people dismissed as his locker room talk turned out to be more than just talk. Yet no Republican of significance said a critical word about it.

The same was true this year when Mr. Trump was found liable for civil fraud. The judge in the case, Arthur F. Engoron, said that the former president’s “complete lack of contrition” bordered on “pathological.” Yet Republicans were united in their outrage not in response to Mr. Trump’s actions but at the judge for the size of the penalty.

Today many Republicans not only profess to believe that the election was stolen; prominent members of Congress like Representative Elise Stefanik and Senator J.D. Vance say they would not have certified the 2020 election results, as Vice President Mike Pence, to his credit, did. Mike Johnson, who played a leading role in trying to overturn the election, is speaker of the House.

Republicans not only excuse the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6; Mr. Trump and his party also now glorify the insurrectionists. At his kickoff campaign rally for 2024, a song called “Justice for All” played, featuring him and the J6 Prison Choir, made up of prisoners charged with crimes related to the riot. Republicans are not only convinced that he was unfairly impeached and unfairly indicted; they are also completely untroubled by his threats against (and slander of) judges, law clerks and prosecutors, not to mention his attempts to influence and intimidate witnesses .

They are fine with the former president referring to “the radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country” and insinuating that the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley deserved to be executed for committing treason. They are fine with Mr. Trump encouraging Russia to attack our NATO allies and comparing himself with Alexei Navalny , the Kremlin’s fiercest and bravest critic, who died while serving time in a remote Russian prison for his political beliefs. They are fine with his suggesting “termination” of the Constitution and with one of Mr. Trump’s lawyers arguing that if, as president, Mr. Trump ordered SEAL Team Six to assassinate an opponent, he could be immune from criminal prosecution. And this is only a tiny sample of what he’s been saying and doing for years.

Call them Fifth Avenue Republicans.

Fifth Avenue Republicans support Mr. Trump, regardless of what he does — even if, as he said in 2016, he stood in the middle of Fifth Avenue in New York and shot someone. This wasn’t an exaggeration; it was prophecy.

The radicalization of the Republican Party isn’t going to abate anytime soon. Another band of traditional Republicans, who could serve as a counterweight to MAGA Republicans, is fleeing Congress. Republicans who recently left or are about to leave include Mitt Romney and Ben Sasse in the Senate and Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Patrick McHenry, Kay Granger, Will Hurd, Ken Buck and Mike Gallagher in the House. Some of these people have said privately that they knew that continuing to serve in Congress as representatives of a party saying good things about Mr. Trump that they knew weren’t true was not good for their souls.

Twenty-six Republican senators voted against the recent aid package for Ukraine, which a pre-Trump Republican Party would have overwhelmingly supported. And of the 17 Republican senators who were elected beginning in 2018 and who are age 55 or younger , 15 voted no.

In other words, the MAGA takeover of the Republican Party is complete. Mitch McConnell, who was one of the most influential majority leaders in the history of the Senate and excoriated Mr. Trump for his role in the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6 from the floor of the Senate, recently announced he was stepping down from the Republican leadership, and soon after that, he announced he was endorsing Mr. Trump. It was a surrender to Mr. Trump , an acknowledgment of his dominance.

Mr. Trump will be the Republican nominee for a third time. His imprint on the Republican Party is now comparable with — and in some ways exceeds — Ronald Reagan’s. And that imprint is likely to last for at least a generation. It is a staggering achievement.

It also presents a profound threat to the country. Whatever one thought of the Republican Party pre-Trump, it was not fundamentally illiberal or nihilistic; its leaders were not sociopathic, merciless con men, wantonly cruel and lawless. No area of Mr. Trump’s life appears to have been untouched by moral corruption.

As a young man, I was influenced by conservative intellectuals like George Will, Irving Kristol and James Q. Wilson. I served in three Republican administrations, including as a senior adviser in the White House under President George W. Bush, and voted Republican in nine consecutive presidential elections, beginning with Mr. Reagan in 1980. My political tribe was Republican; so were most of my friends. To see what the G.O.P. has become is mortifying. As someone who loves America, I find it terrifying.

To get a better sense of this moment, I reached out to the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jon Meacham. “Historically speaking, the forces now in control of the Republican Party represent the most significant threat to basic constitutionalism we’ve experienced since the Civil War,” Mr. Meacham, who has helped devise some of Mr. Biden’s speeches, told me. “That’s not a partisan point; it’s just the fact of the matter. And I’m not talking about particular policies, about which we can and should disagree. I’m talking about the self-evident willingness of a once-noble party to embrace lies and the will to power over essential democratic norms.”

Since 2015, I have repeatedly warned Republicans about Mr. Trump, describing him as the kind of demagogue the founders feared , malignant and malicious, a man with a disordered personality. At this point eight years ago , I said that while the struggle for the Republican nomination was over, the struggle for the soul of the party was not.

Once Mr. Trump won the presidency, I knew it was. He and the Republican Party fused ideologically; it’s now a populist rather than a conservative party. Its instincts are nativist, protectionist and isolationist. But the most significant fusion is ethical and moral. The Republican Party keeps getting darker. It has become anti-intellectual, conspiracy-minded and authoritarian, intemperate and brutish, transgressive and anarchistic. And there’s no end in sight.

Mr. Trump is a human blowtorch, prepared to burn down democracy. So is his party. When there’s no bottom, there’s no bottom.

The next 34 weeks are among the more consequential in the life of this nation. Mr. Trump was a clear danger in 2016; he’s much more of a danger now. The former president is more vengeful, more bitter and more unstable than he was, which is saying something. There would be fewer guardrails and more true believers in a second Trump term. He has already shown he’d overturn an election, support a violent insurrection and even allow his vice president to be hanged. There’s nothing he won’t do. It’s up to the rest of us to keep him from doing it.

Peter Wehner ( @Peter_Wehner ) is a contributing Opinion writer and a senior fellow at the Trinity Forum who served in the administrations of Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. He is the author of “ The Death of Politics : How to Heal Our Frayed Republic After Trump.”

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

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