Looking for Hope

Hopelessness kills, if not physically, then emotionally and spiritually. I consider it vital for clinicians, family members, and friends to speak hope to those who are struggling with debilitating and terminal illnesses. Patients need to know where to look for hope.

Hope can come in many forms: hope that they will receive the best care possible, hope for a cure (or at least a few extra months or years), hope for a decent quality of life, hope for less pain, hope that loved ones and friends will stay close till the end, hope that one’s suffering might be minimal, hope that one’s life and legacy will make a lasting difference. In this regard, hope extends to those left behind: hope for their futures, hope for comfort from their grief, hope that their lives will turn out not just okay but happy.

I have noticed that some end-of-life patients who had been previously convinced that this life is all there is begin to rethink their views. Some begin to hope they have been wrong. Others steel themselves in hope of the nothingness they believed in—“ashes to ashes, dust to dust.”

Ultimately, as patients understand that their days are numbered, those who find the greatest peace are those who have genuine hope in what comes next. They confidently expect a life beyond death, a life free of suffering.

Hope has a bigger purpose, a greater calling. Hope is a source of strength that enables you to continue by focusing the mind on a future minute, hour, day, life, or eternity that is different from your current momentary circumstance.

Hope. Hope. Hope. What a beautiful word.

A medical event may add many new words and phrases to one’s medical glossary: terms like chemotherapy, radiation therapy, palliative therapy, alternative therapy, nutritional therapy, metastasis, failure of therapy, comfort therapy, and hospice. These words can be frightening. But we get to choose our final word: may it be Hope.

Pray With Me

Loving God, thank you for the hope you bring. Guide me to find hope even in the most dire situations, as I see you work and bring light to the darkness.