Wish, Hope, Faith. 

I've been researching and studying these words/terms this past week. Life is a struggle that never lets up. No matter what your circumstances, life is the never-ending climb. 

How does one keep going? Is there ever a top, or end to the climb? What about peaks and valleys? How does one manage the lows, as well as the highs? They're all there. The key is to keep moving. As the old saying goes, "The journey to the top of the mountain begins with the first step."

And so I am brought to the three terms above.

I have learned to wish for nothing. It's pointless. By definition, wish means "to feel or express a strong desire or hope for something that is not easily attainable; want something that cannot or probably will not happen." The second part makes sense. That's reality. So stop wishing for something because that indicates passive waiting, taking no action, not being proactive with one's life. But there's a clue in that definition, and that is the word 'hope' in the first part of the definition; "...hope for something..."

There's a lot of talk these days about having hope -  in meetings, in the Big Book, The Twelve Steps, in D.C. - coping through hope, hope for us all, have hope, hope can bring change, etc., etc., blahblahblah. 

So, I look up the word hope. Hope means "a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen" and also "grounds for believing that something good may happen." NOW we're getting somewhere.

Utilizing hope as one of the tools in my arsenal, I now have a reason to believe that good things will happen. If I keep moving in the good direction I am moving, remaining sober, true to my self and my cause, I can expect my life to improve, my circumstances to continually grow in a postive way, for my efforts at attempting something new and  good to succeed.

Wow. Such relief in those thoughts. Gives one hope, doesn't it? It's all gonna be OK. Just remember, one day at a time. One step at a time on the journey.

Which brings us to Faith. Faith is a "complete trust or confidence in someone or something," also a "strong belief in G-d or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof." Additionally, faith is "a strongly held belief or theory."

This program, these rooms, these steps, all help to build one's faith. Faith in self and success is an awesome force. Impossible to thwart. Having faith will enable you to overcome any obstacle, meet any challenge, succeed in all your efforts. True, you may not get to where you want to be when you think you should be there. Just always remember to keep the faith. Never lose hope. You will arrive.

Here's a thought for the day....What would you do if you knew you could not fail?

And so my friends, have hope, develop faith. An unwavering strength will grow within you. Miracles will truly happen. You are witnessing one right now, as you read these words.

Peace.

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