Knowing Shalom: Restoring Hope

Knowing Shalom: Restoring Hope

I learned something about hope today from a coworker. He talked about a behavioral experiment on rats. First, scientists placed rats in a bucket of water to see how long they would swim. Generally, they would swim for about 15 minutes before giving up. Then the scientists added another layer to the experiment. They pulled the rats out of the water after several minutes and dried them off. Then they put the poor rats back in the bucket. This time they could swim for 60 hours.

The difference? Hope.

The rats could last much longer if they knew that survival and rescue were an option.

It is the case with trauma that our capacity for hope can get diminished. After all, rescue didn’t come when we needed it if it came at all. So what does the Bible say about hope? In Proverbs 13:12, the wise man says, Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

In cases of domestic violence and narcissistic abuse, our hope that our spouses will change becomes a terrible cycle of deferred hope. In cases of chronic illness, our hope of healing becomes hard to hold on to when our bodies ache. Even when rescue does come, the memories linger in the mind and the body, making everyday life a minefield of triggers for those with PTSD.

I know that the Bible does not use the phrase, ask Jesus into your heart, but I have always found it useful. If my heart is the well-spring of life, what better place to invite him in? Yes, I know the verse that says our hearts are wicked, but the Psalms also say that he creates in us a pure and clean heart. Hope lives in our hearts in the person of Jesus Christ is my point here. He is the truth, the life, and the way out of despair. This method is one way I pray to remember who he is and how to allow him to restore my hope in him, in heaven, and his kingdom here on earth:

Heavenly Father,

I kneel before you and ask you to absorb into your body on the cross all of the wounds inflicted on my sick heart. Thus, by your stripes, I can receive healing for the psychological, emotional, and physical wounds I received at the hands of others. I release the cruel words, the deep betrayals, the traumatizing events, and the pain into your hands pierced for me. I receive your healing and your hope in my heart. I invite you to begin the process of restoring my belief in your goodness, in your intervention, and your tender-hearted care for me. Show me where my source of hope lies in you. Amen

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