Now More Than Ever…Look Up! – Stuart Segall

When we raise our periscopes, we are reminded that the world churns and burns around us. We see that hatred continues to grow, and even the climate tells us other universal storms could be brewing.

We may sing “what the world needs now is love sweet love” but we just as much need hope.

I love the song below because it talks about the hope that starts with forgiveness. It points toward what we all need…” better days”.  Did you catch the “bingo” in the message? “Hope starts with forgiveness”.  Otherwise, you just have a “ceasefire” which in reality is just an absence of war or fighting on what is likely, a temporary basis.

I read this quote that I often used in teaching and counseling “Behavior speaks… I need not listen to someone’s apology; I’ll watch for it. I’ve learned not to let someone’s words blind me from their behavior.” (Steve Maraboli )

I hope you can see that without this foundation using this kind of definition, you might have a time of ceasefire from the fighting under the roof of a home where there is family or marriage discontent, to a temporary ceasefire in national unrest, to the Ukraine. If this is happening, the ongoing problem is there without an anchor or foundation to maintain it, so the strife will likely pick up again.

So let me share some of the lyrics to such a thoughtful song of hope and forgiveness.

Better Days by The Goo Goo Dolls

“And you asked me what I want this year

And I try to make this kind and clear

Just a chance that maybe we’ll find better days

‘Cause I don’t need boxes wrapped in strings

And designer love and empty things

Just a chance that maybe we’ll find better days

So, take these words and sing out loud

‘Cause everyone is forgiven now

‘Cause tonight’s the night the world begins again

I wish everyone was loved tonight

And somehow stop this endless fight

Just a chance that maybe we’ll find better days

So, take these words and sing out loud

‘Cause everyone is forgiven now

‘Cause tonight’s the night the world begins again”

We look for a hope that one day all will feel loved, not just a select few. That there will be peace, not just in our nation, but a peace that encompasses the world. A time people will not mourn and lament, but sing out loud, and sing in safety.

It reminds us that many hope one day “the world will begin again”.

We can’t change it single-handedly but we can sure work harder and care more as if we can. May we all continue to pursue this dream until it becomes a dream come true.   May we all understand as our faith burns brightly, that the answer to our peace of mind is the conclusion in this picture.

Stuart Segall lives about an hour north of Seattle.  He has spent most of his adult life counseling, encouraging, inspiring and uplifting others.

---