Tues. Jan 19
"THESE THREE REMAIN: FAITH, HOPE AND LOVE." (1CO 13:13 NIV)
Keep Hope Alive
In 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton attempted the first land crossing of Antarctica. But his ship, the Endurance, got stuck in icy waters and sank. Shackleton and his twenty-seven-member crew were stranded twelve hundred miles from civilization, drifting on ice floes with just three rickety lifeboats, a few tents and limited provisions. Eventually they reached a small island and waited while Shackleton and a handful of men took one of the lifeboats eight hundred miles over tumultuous seas to a whaling station. Shackleton returned with a rescue ship, and every man survived the eighteen-month ordeal. How did he keep everybody's hope alive? First, he modeled optimism. Shackleton, who described optimism as "true moral courage," always believed that he and his crew would survive, and he spread that optimism to everyone around him. Second, he nurtured their sense of significance. He kept everyone involved by seeking their opinions and giving them tasks which made them feel like they were part of the solution. Third, he encouraged them. He used humor and promoted a lighthearted atmosphere. Shackleton recognized that under extreme pressure, the ability to lighten the mood neutralizes fear and enables people to focus, re-energize, and prevail over daunting obstacles. Isn't it interesting that one of the few items Shackleton rescued from the sinking ship was a crewman's banjo? He did it so the group could have music. Shackleton was a prime example of how one person can keep hope alive. If you know someone who's in the middle of a difficult trial, your words of kindness and love, your confidence in them, your ability to lighten their load, can keep hope alive.
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