Hope.
Yes, she is a friend of mine. I think
you might even know her.
You know, she is one of the
those friends who you love dearly, but mistreat horribly--and still, she remains. The relationship is back and forth as she comes and goes...not because she wants to leave, but because she gets pushed aside by
you or by your more pushy "friends"--Fear, Sadness, and Anger--who are never there for you, except to hold you down when you've fallen.
Hope never makes any promises, no guarantees, but she is there
always, faithful and true...almost to a fault.
She is joy, positivity at it's best, faith...and just being in her presence makes you
believe...believe
that it might be,
that it could be,
that it actually will be.
She walks by your side through the ups and downs of life. But then as those
other friends, or perhaps foes, begins to appear--the not-so-nice trio of Fear, Sadness, and Anger--so she fades into the shadows, waiting ever so patiently for you to find her once again (when you are finished gallivanting with the "wrong crowd"). You get so caught up in that clique that you might even find yourself cursing Hope for being who she is...you know, getting a little caddy with the trio, if you will because she is "SO annoyingly upbeat and positive."
And then, like a
true friend, when everything has settled, when the trio have left you broken, inside and out, when you've realized Fear, Sadness, and Anger have taken you for another dead-end trip...
...she floats back in, almost without you knowing at first. You turn around one day and she is there, right by your side, lifting you up and carrying your burdens, keeping at bay your doubts, your fears.
You discover your relationship with her all over again and it's almost as if she never left. You get to know her in a new and more intense way and promise to never leave her, to never let the
others win you over when you are weak.
And so it goes, until the trio find you falling into
that place, and Hope is cast aside...just as she expects to be.
But she will wait, until the time is right...and find you once again.
So Hope and I? We've been out of touch for awhile you see. I mean, it's not that I've lost touch with her
entirely, she just hasn't been in the spotlight for a while, just kind of hanging in the background. I am forever hoping for my girls, but for me...there just hasn't been anything, until now. I must say, she caught me completely off-guard. When I saw her standing by my side with that goofy look on her face, I thought to myself, "Fabulous...here we go again."
So tonight, I sit here enjoying my time with Hope, reminiscing, looking to the future, and she has me thinking,
believingthat it might be,
that it could be,
that it actually will be.
Yet in the back of my mind, I am anticipating the arrival of one or all of the trio...begging Hope to help me fight them, but knowing that in all likelihood they will be here before I know it and do what they do best...knock me down. I don't want to lose touch again...I like having her here...after all, above all things, I chose Hope then and will choose it now.
HOPE NOW
If everything comes down to love,
Then just what am I afraid of?
When I call out Your name,
Something inside awakes in my soul.
How quickly I forget I'm Yours.
I'm not my own,
I've been carried by You
All my life.
Everything rides on hope now.
Everything rides on faith somehow.
When the world has broken me down,
Your love sets me free.
When my life is like a storm,
Rising waters all I want is the shore.
You say I'll be OK and
Make it through the rain.
You are my shelter from the storm.
Everything rides on hope now.
Everything rides on faith somehow.
When the world has broken me down,
Your love sets me free.
I am not my own,
I've been carried by You
All my life.
Everything rides on hope now.
Everything rides on faith somehow.
When the world has broken me down,
Your love sets me free.
You've become my heart's desire.
I will sing Your praises higher,
Cause Your love sets me free.
Your love sets me free...
Your love sets me free.
~Addison Road
