Hopefully

The next day I ran the morning group for The Other Ken, who was stuck in traffic.  I wrote on the white board:

Faith without works is dead. 

Hope without work can be deadly.

Almost everyone in the group recognized ‘Faith without works is dead’ was from the Bible.  They were able to discuss the passage’s meaning without much input from me.

I had to explain what I meant by ‘Hope without work can be deadly.’   I told group members problems start when you don’t do all you can to make something happen in your life.  Hoping will lift your mood, and make waiting for that something to happen less painful.  The pain might have been the motivation you needed to change. 

“Sheesh Ken,” Terry said, “you’re anti-hope?”

“No, I think hope is a powerful force.  But like most powerful forces, it can be misused, with deadly results.  The guy who only hopes he’ll get sober this year, but does nothing to change his behavior, is likely to feel hopeful right up until he drives through a red light and kills a family of four.”

Today I will remember hope without work can be deadly.

Life on Life’s Terms II © 2015 by Ken Montrose

(Just a reminder: LOLT II is a work of fiction.  Any resemblance to anyone you might know is purely coincidental.)