Have you ever thought about what in your life makes you hopeful?

Or, what saps your hope?


I realized recently that my mental health often appears to be pretty tightly tied to how hopeful I feel in a given season.

That seems significant.

It means stewarding hope and stewarding hopefulness is much more important than I’ve tended to give space for.

Churchill’s words resonate.


So, it’s worth asking “what fills your hope-meter?”


I found myself spending a few hours alone in nature today — taking in the silence, enjoying creation, and journalling.

I came back feeling like a new man, with a “hope-meter” more full than I’ve experienced in weeks.

That time with nature and my journal refilled my hope “tank”.


Meaning, hopefulness isn’t static. It’s not something we’re helpless to change. We have some agency there.

There are things we do, watch, read, or listen to that will fill that tank up; and there are other things that will drain it.


What are those things for you?


Pay attention to and treasure that which cultivates hope, and be wary of that which sows hopelessness.