{"id":3410,"date":"2018-01-04T11:04:50","date_gmt":"2018-01-04T17:04:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/davidrupert\/?p=3410"},"modified":"2018-01-08T07:35:17","modified_gmt":"2018-01-08T13:35:17","slug":"%ef%bb%bfa-memory-hope-good-news-worst-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/davidrupert\/%ef%bb%bfa-memory-hope-good-news-worst-times\/","title":{"rendered":"\ufeffA Memory of Hope: Good News for the Very Worst of Times"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

If the Happy\u00a0New Year is already shaping up to be an even worse version of the last one, read on\u2026\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

I know a couple who is walking the hard road with an adult son who was arrested and is serving an indefinite incarceration.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know all the details, nor do I want to need to know them. They don\u2019t matter, despite this rubber-neck world we live in.<\/p>\n

And I can\u2019t judge his circumstance because with a just a couple of different life choices I could have been the one. A bad decision. A bad friend. A lifetime of consequence. It could have been me. It should have been me.<\/em><\/p>\n

What I do know is this man is in a cell with no outdoor privileges, no exercise, and not even a ray of sunshine \u2013a seemingly bleak existence.<\/p>\n

As heard his story, I thought about what it would be like to have all of my vices, all of my excuses taken away. I am surrounded by friends and family, with a thousand different inputs feeding my brain and nudging me in one direction or another.<\/p>\n

What would it be like if all of that was stripped away? What would life be like with just me and God, talking?<\/p>\n

\"prison<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo by\u00a0Priscilla Du Preez<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0Unsplash<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Addictions steal the joy of life<\/h3>\n

If you are around addicts, the sharpness of the senses and accompanying emotions dull over time. Joy and hope and pleasure are slowly blurred. Life becomes one big struggle<\/p>\n

According to his mother, even simple happiness and peace were elusive.<\/p>\n

While no parent wants to see their child suffer like this, his mom recently received some amazing news from her son.<\/p>\n

No, there hasn\u2019t been a commutation or a parole or an early release. For the time being, he is still in his simple cell.<\/p>\n

But he has recovered his memory of hope<\/strong>, the fond embrace of simple joy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m alive!\u201d\u00a0 he wrote in a Christmas letter.<\/p>\n

He is embracing simple pleasures like a video conversation with his son, cookies from the mess hall, and warm tube socks. He even marveled at the taste of a mint, something he hadn\u2019t tasted in more than a year.<\/p>\n

Some of this is physiological. His addictions are not being fed which helps bring clarity to reality.<\/p>\n

Some of this is spiritual, a recovery of what was once lost and is now found.<\/p>\n

He writes, \u201cMy brain reminds me now of all the simple moments that really are what made life right \u2014<\/strong>\u00a0not necessarily super happy or amazing, but right and good and worth the journey<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

His memories of simple blessings have unleashed a torrent of thankfulness. His time of isolation and clarity has sparked his memory of past hope.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn fact my memory of them was such an awakening after such a long absence of that feeling. It gave me a seed of hope, this recollection of goodness<\/strong> \u2026 I had forgotten that life was OK ever\u2026. and that it can be again. I guess we could say I had the memory of hope<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to his mother, \u201cHe is experiencing an awakening of memory<\/span> and of moments where life was good and worth living.\u201d<\/p>\n

Do not despair<\/h3>\n

If you are imprisoned by circumstances this year, do not despair.<\/p>\n

Maybe your situation is at the hand of another. A spouse who walked out on you. A friend who betrayed you. A sickness that has robbed you of mobility.<\/p>\n

Or maybe your present situation is your own fault \u2013 I get it. I\u2019ve been there, ruining relationships, friendships and workplaces because of my stupid self.<\/p>\n

Regardless of how you got there, embrace the memory of hope<\/strong>. Remember what life was like before it got so complicated.<\/p>\n

Marvel in the senses of all that God continues to give. Smell the crisp morning air, taking it in deeply. Enjoy a small treat, taking small bites,\u00a0 embracing the texture and the taste. Read a Psalm of joy, verse by verse, word by word.<\/p>\n

Notice the little things \u2013 the bird that hops on the branch, looking at you, hoping for a nod of recognition. The baby that blows a bubble from his lips, lost in his own world of wonder.<\/p>\n

As long as there is a new day, there is hope.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thank you God for all my blessings past. Thank you God for a future. Thank you \u2013 despite these crummy circumstances \u2013 for the memory of hope.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"hope<\/a>Photo by\u00a0Christopher Windus<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0Unsplash<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you are imprisoned by circumstances this year, do not despair.<\/p>\n

Maybe your situation is at the hand of another. A spouse who walked out on you. A friend who betrayed you. A sickness that has robbed you of mobility.<\/p>\n

Or maybe your present situation is your own fault \u2013 I get it. I\u2019ve been there, ruining relationships, friendships and workplaces because of my stupid self.<\/p>\n

Regardless of how you got there, embrace the memory of hope. Remember what life was like before it got so complicated.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2375,"featured_media":3412,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1747,1744,1602,1745,1746],"class_list":["post-3410","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-circumstance","tag-despair","tag-hope","tag-imprisonment","tag-jail"],"yoast_head":"\n\ufeffA Memory of Hope: Good News for the Very Worst of Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If you find yourself imprisoned by circumstances, do not despair. This story of an incarcerated man will inspire you. 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