Navigating the news with hope
A Christian Science perspective.
Anyone who takes an active interest in the daily news naturally hopes to see signs of progress in areas of concern for humanity’s welfare. Many people turn to the Monitor to help them navigate through the news and find these positive signs. No one wants the news of the day to toss his or her hope around like a small vessel on an angry sea.
What helps me keep from being agitated by a relentless barrage of negative news is to anchor my hope in God’s ability to guide human thought in healing directions. Then I can bring hope to the news instead of letting the news cast my hope aside.
One definition of hope is “desire accompanied by expectation.” Everyone desires to see improvements in human conditions. The question is, where do we expect these improvements to come from? One of the psalms in the Bible attributed to David tells where he placed his hopes and expectations: “My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him” (Psalms 62:5).
We can expect good to come from God because He is the infinite, divine Mind from whom all creative intelligence derives, and which governs the universe and His sons and daughters, His spiritual reflection. The goodness of God is felt in our lives when we turn humbly to God in prayer with a heart open to His daily inspiration and guidance. With our thought, and therefore our hope, anchored in this spiritual expectation, we will see signs of progress otherwise missed – instead of feeling the constant disappointment that comes from viewing things through our own personal opinions.
With God-anchored hope we can set sail for our journey through the daily news. Through prayer we can hoist our sails (thoughts) in preparation for departure – freed from prejudicial outlining, negative criticism, fear, and apathy. We can do this because it is God Himself that works in us to surrender to the gentle winds of His guidance. “Knowledge that we can accomplish the good we hope for,” wrote Monitor founder Mary Baker Eddy, “stimulates the system to act in the direction which Mind points out” (“Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” p. 394).
Departing for the day’s journey with thoughts full of love for God, and for our fellow beings, we will bring to the news of the day the healing influence of divine Love. This Love will keep our own thoughts at peace even while we grapple with the tough situations facing humanity that we read and hear about. We’ll be able to discern ideas for possible solutions, recognize God’s ability to elevate our thought and the thoughts of others to His wise and intelligent guidance and love, and trust that our prayers are having their beneficial effects.
Because the news of the world comes to us from all directions every day, we can stay on the right course through daily prayer. Hope anchored in God is safe amid the agitation of human alarms and fears. Each day is a new adventure in the power of divine Love to inspire, transform, and redirect the minds of men and women in creative, healing ways that promote progress for everyone. Your prayers contribute mightily to that result.