Hope

“Love comes to those who still hope even though they've been disappointed, to those who still believe even though they've been betrayed, to those who still love even though they've been hurt before.”

A lot of things have been going through my mind vis a vis forgiveness. Forgiveness is a journey but can we have forgiveness without hope?
For me I think that forgiveness is deciding that despite the wrongs that have been done in the past, I decide to not hold grudges against you and am open to a new possibility of a relationship with you. However, if people have no hope can they really forgive? I believe that they cant and this is why. Hope is that deep belief that despite the hardship that we may be enduring or that we endured in our past, that our future holds greatest things. Hope is when we decide not only to dream again but to open our hearts and minds for new possibilities that are sometimes beyond our imagination. Hope is what drives a underprivileged kid to school with no meal, no books, no school supplies but with a deep desire to see a brighter future for him and his family. Hope is what drives soldiers, freedom fighters who live in horrible conditions and live in sacrifice so that their kids might live in a better country. Hope is what keeps each human being positive despite the negative circumstances.
However, many people all over the world have lost their hope. Their hearts have been hurt so deeply that they turned cold, they have lost any desire in living and bitterness, anger drive their life. Telling these people to forgive their “enemies” would be wrong because it’s just impossible for them since their heart is not set for that! Nevertheless, I think that these people need to be given hope, they need to feel alive again and in the end forgiveness will occur.
But how can one give hope? The first way to provide hope to people is to listen to them. Listening is probably the most important tool in healing! As you listen to these people empty their hearts(without judging them) you are giving them a chance to replace their stony hearts into a flesh heart. After listening to them however I think that they also need words of encouragement, they do not need you to tell them that they are irrational, all they need is love and understanding!
I also believe that that Hope can be found into a higher being and his love.
And finally I do believe that in order to provide hope to victims there also needs to be material things. These material things are not aimed at replacing the lives of their loved ones but they are meant to ease their life to make their lives easier.
So as we provide hope for people who are experienced great hurt, we are giving them back the joy of life, the joy to live and as peace settles into their heart one day the redeeming power of forgiveness will turn their hatred into love.