12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. ~ Proverbs 13:12
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us, but life in you. ~ 2 Corinthians 4:7-12
One of the greatest painters of all time is Vincent Van Gogh, yet while he was alive, he sold only a single painting. One single painting. He was depressed. Down on himself. He lost hope. One day, he had a manic episode of sorts that caused him to cut off part of his ear. It was so bad that he had no memory of doing it. He died less than two years later at the age of 37. He struggled with the fact that he had sold only one painting in his 37 years, and he couldn’t find the light at the end of the dark tunnel.
Van Gogh, however, wasn’t alone in this. His brother, Theo, supported him and encouraged him. He believed in him, but it just wasn’t enough for him. Theo died just six months after Vincent Van Gogh. Many believe it was from the heartbreak of losing his brother, who died from a gunshot wound. Theo’s last words were, supposedly, “the sadness will last forever.” Two brothers who died way too young, I believe, suffered from the same pain: hopelessness.
See, without hope, we are consumed by pain. We are consumed by the darkness that surrounds us. Theo believed in his brother. He was his biggest supporter. His biggest cheerleader, but it wasn’t enough for Vincent Van Gogh. This kind of pain is one of the most dangerous holes to fall into because this kind of pain, specifically, feeds off of hopelessness, so it fills you with hopelessness. The immense danger? The only way to overcome it is hope.
If it can remove hope from you, there’s no way out. It’s won. It’s completely consumed you. They did a study on rats on this very thing. They put each rat into a body of water without a way out. They all drowned very quickly. They then did the same study with another group of rats, but this time they saved them before they drowned and put them back in the bucket. This time, they had hope of being saved. So, what happened? They swam. They kept swimming in circles for hours. They refused to give up because they had hope that they would be rescued.
Our lives are filled with moments that feel helpless. That feel like there is no way out. But we have to keep swimming, even if we don’t see a safe haven. Even if all we see is open water surrounding us, we have to keep swimming. We can’t give in to despair.
Peace. Love. Go Forth and Keep Swimming In Circles.