Julie Siddiqi - 24/02/2024
Thought for the Day
Good morning
As I sit reflecting on the week just gone, one word keeps coming to me 鈥 hope.
I watched the film, 鈥楾he Narrow Bridge鈥, which follows the lives of Israelis and Palestinians who have lost loved ones in the conflict over the years. Watching it sitting next to Magen, a young dad from North London whose parents were killed in their home in Israel on October 7th, made it all the more poignant for me. The film is a rollercoaster of emotions but the thread throughout it all鈥. is hope.. As I hear from people in my communities of their pain and fear and feelings of anger at the rising numbers of deaths and the impact of the images of destruction, I am drawn back to the challenge coming through in the film: if they can remain hopeful, what excuse do I have?
I heard a tearful young woman in Russia speak of how she had lost all hope hearing of the death of Alexei Navalny. 3 days later his wife Yulia spoke of the need to be strong, to not be afraid, to keep the hope alive that her husband believed in.
I work with survivors of terrorism. Those who have been physically and psychologically injured in an attack and those who have lost loved ones. I have come to know how hard it can be for them to navigate daily life after the attack, some days feel impossible. When they connect with other survivors I get to see the hope that can be rekindled and how that is harnessed for good.
This week I also met Heather, a tireless campaigner of more than 20 years, advocating for flood victims around the UK whose voices so often go unheard. I spoke to her about how she keeps going. She said 鈥渨e have to have hope that change will come, or we鈥檒l give up鈥.
The Qur鈥檃n is full of encouragement to remain hopeful, to keep our faith in God, to not give up. One verse says:
鈥淪urely with hardship comes ease. So when you have finished your duties, stand in worship. Turning to your Lord alone, with hope鈥
At a time when the world feels like it鈥檚 on fire, the quiet, calm but radical hope I have taken from others has given me the energy to keep going through my own challenges, putting things firmly in perspective and giving me more tools to help others rekindle their hope when it feels like it鈥檚 fading.
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