Finding hope in times of trouble

I kept cycling through the same negative feelings over and over,” she said. “I thought, ‘If this is how my life is going to be, what’s the point? ”

Hailey-Ann Seavey

“I felt like it was a death sentence,” said 65-year-old Apopka resident Edward Claggett. He still recalls the exact moment three years ago when his doctor told him he had cancer.

Since his diagnosis, Claggett has clung tighter than ever to the hope he gains from the Bible, one that he’s cherished since becoming one of Jehovah’s Witnesses some 52 years ago. 

“Attitude is very important,” said Claggett, when explaining how he’s able to endure the debilitating treatments and chronic pain. He volunteers much of his time teaching people about the Bible’s promise of a future without sickness and suffering. One of his students also has cancer, and Claggett said that when “encouraging him, I realize it’s encouraging me.” He added that “the hope for the future inspires me. It keeps me going every single day.”

Exploring the theme of “real hope” resonates with many who feel hopeless in the face of relentlessly bad news and mounting problems. For Las Vegas teen Hailey-Ann Seavey, negative thoughts became a vicious cycle before she found some relief. By her sophomore year of high school, painful memories of past trauma left Seavey unable to envision a future worth living for.

“I kept cycling through the same negative feelings over and over,” she said. “I thought, ‘If this is how my life is going to be, what’s the point?’” 

Seavey confided in a classmate, who comforted her with the Bible’s promise of a future time when pains of the past will plague no one. 

Hope began to rise in Seavey’s heart. She started an in-depth study of the Bible and accepted her schoolmate’s invitation to attend congregation meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses; soon, she was sharing her newfound hope with others.

“Learning what the Bible teaches gave me something to look forward to,” said Seavey, now 18. “I feel refreshed and uplifted, and I want others to have that too.”

Mike O’Connell, 70, of Marietta, Georgia, finds comfort in the same Bible promises.

His wife, Dee, contracted COVID-19 last year while hospitalized with a stroke and died just days before their 39th wedding anniversary. “I miss everything about her,” said O’Connell.

Picturing how he will welcome her back in the global resurrection to life on earth as described in Scripture helps O’Connell endure the pain of Dee’s absence.

“I have no doubt I’ll see her again,” he said. “Staying focused on that time keeps my hope alive.”

“In times like these, we need hope more than ever,” said Hendriks. “Hope helps a person look ahead with courage and confidence to the fulfillment of God’s beautiful promises. That’s why attending one of these special programs can be life-changing.”

For more details, go to www.jw.org.