The Miracle of Hope

ACFWAuthors and writing, Encouragement, Friends of ACFW, writing 6 Comments

By Catherine West

Today I’m celebrating the release of my sixth novel! My third published book through Harper Collins Christian Publishing, and since the title is Where Hope Begins, I thought hope would be the perfect topic for today’s post.

“Hope begins in the dark. The stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait, and watch and work: you don’t give up.”

This quote by Anne Lamott became one of my favorites the moment I read it. Consequently, it became the inspiration for the title of Where Hope Begins. But I think there is so much truth in it, and so many takeaways for us as writers.

Hope begins in the dark.

Perhaps not literally, although yes, I have had those middle of the night moments, laying awake, staring into black night and wondering what comes next. Crying out to God and asking for an answer. And sometimes waiting. And waiting. And then one of those nights, the heaviness begins to lift. A sliver of light splits the darkness. Hope. Something almost tangible. Something to grab hold of. Something that brings an unexpected smile, and gives us a reason to pray more fervently.

Stubborn Hope.

This is a good one. I’ve been called tenacious, but honestly, I think when it comes to following after our dreams, we have to be stubborn. And that’s a good thing. Because if you’ve been at this writing gig for any length of time, you know it’s a hard road. We spend hours upon hours alone, writing words upon words and then re-writing and wondering if anyone will ever read them. Rejections begin to pile up. And often, discouragement tempts us to give up. So we need that stubborn hope. We need to believe in our dream, and know that God has set us on this path, and He will open the doors for us at exactly the right time. My journey to publication was filled with seasons of hopelessness, and I wanted to give up many times. But encouragement always came through friends and unexpected messages . . . of hope . . . and I clung to that hope as I kept writing and praying and waiting.

‘Hope is a waking dream.’  – Aristotle

Just Show Up.

And try to do the right thing. This is it. The key to writing. Just show up and write your words.  Every day. For however long you can. And don’t worry about whether they’re good or bad or even mediocre. Just write. And while you write, hold on to that stubborn hope. Hold your dream loosely but don’t ever let it go. Trust God.

The Dawn Will Come. You wait, and watch and work: you don’t give up.

Dawn symbolizes a new day, a glorious beginning, where anything can happen. It is the culmination of hope, the great reward. And it’s usually a beautiful sight to behold. Keep waiting, keep watching, keep working. Keep your hope alive.

The wonderful thing about hope is that it refuses to let us forget that our dawn will come. Hope whispers to the heart. Hold On. Keep Going. You got this.

Hope whispers love.
Hope comes from God.
And if that’s not reason to grab hold of hope today, I don’t know what is.
Hoping with you, my friends!

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

Just show up and write your words by @cathwest #ACFWBlogs #amwriting Click To Tweet

Catherine West writes stories of hope and healing from her island home in Bermuda. When she’s not at the computer working on her next story, you can find her taking her Border Collie for long walks or reading books by her favorite authors. She and her husband have two grown children and one beautiful granddaughter.

 

 

Comments 6

  1. Thank you. I’m having one of “those” days. I needed to read this.

    In Genesis, each day begins with darkness. It doesn’t begin with the dawn. Not exacting how we think about it, right? But God begins His work at dusk. He is the light, the hope, in the darkness, whispering to us that He has begun to work and we need not be afraid. The dawn will come and we will see it for ourselves.

  2. This is a beautiful post. Ever since I was a little girl I loved to get out of bed when it was still dark and look for dawn. I adore the way the birds sing a raucous hallelujah right before the light breaks through, as if they’re praising God. Dawn and spring- all things new. Thanks for the reminder.

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