Wow by Char ~ Steady The Heart

Steady The Heart

Why we all need hope, and how to preserve it 

By Chardonnay Beaver – chardonnaybeaver.com

Hope is essential because it gives life meaning beyond the moment. Hope sustains our souls, gives pain a purpose, renews perspective, and restores joy. One of the greatest gifts you could offer someone, including yourself, is hope. 

Hope is powerful. While faith says “I believe this can happen,” hope says “I believe this can happen for me.” Many of us have deactivated our imagination, resisted miracles, and counted ourselves out. While feelings fluctuate, and people are fickle, hope builds expectation for a brighter day.

Hope is sustained through a rhythm – truth, faith, community, reflection, and rest.

Still, it isn’t a self-sustaining flame. Once it’s lit, it must be guarded, especially when life’s storms threaten to extinguish it. Hope requires prayer. It’s what allows us to see beyond what’s visible and trust that the impossible is always in reach.

For me, gratitude generates abundant hope. When I take time to reflect—not just on what I have, but on what I haven't had to endure—I find myself overwhelmed with thankfulness. Gratitude shifts my focus from what’s missing to what’s present, from what’s broken to what’s been protected. It reminds me that even in hardship, there’s been grace.

I consider the doors that closed before their time, the relationships that ended before they could do more harm, the seasons that didn’t destroy me but shaped me. Gratitude gives context to my journey—it tells me that if God has carried me this far, He’s not about to stop now. That realization births hope. 

Words of Wisdom by Char of the Week: We have to be audacious. Maybe life hasn’t unfolded the way you planned or expected—but that’s part of the human experience. Still, I dare you to cultivate hope. It begins with a simple, powerful choice: deciding to be hopeful. And always remember, this too shall pass.