In2theRiver

Good morning from Westminster, MD!

Does what you believe is possible impact reality?

Recently, while on our way to baseball practice, my seven-year-old son and I discussed hitting. At seven, my son is just learning how to play baseball. He is still figuring the right stance, how to hold the bat, and the importance of watching the ball into the bat. The stakes are pretty low at this point, but he still cares about whether or not he hits the ball. He had struggled a bit in the game before and was worried his batting struggles were going to continue.

At this point, all kinds of things were going through my head as a parent. I was wondering whether I should tell him you can be a Major League Baseball player if you are able to hit just 30% of the time. I decided that probably wouldn’t mean much to him. I considered if getting really specific about what he was doing incorrectly with his swing and stance would be helpful. It did not seem like the best answer at the moment. In the end, I realized my son had one concern: would he ever hit the ball again. In other words, was being the kind of kid who hits the baseball possible for him?

As a dad, it is always hard to hear your child struggling with whether or not something is possible for them. Of course, whether or not you can hit a baseball is not the end of the world. However, when you are seven-years-old, it feels like a big deal and, as a parent, it can pull at your heart strings. It also speaks to a bigger issue we all deal with: our belief, or lack thereof, that something is possible. Like my son, sometimes it comes down to something that it relatively small in the grand scheme of things. But, sometimes, as we grow up and begin to ask bigger questions, the question of whether or not something is possible can impact our identity and shape our view of reality.

I have written about this in past posts as well as in my book Hope Realized as it relates to poverty and creating change. Specifically, I have referenced the power of hopelessness, or the lie of hopelessness as I like to refer to it, to hold people captive. In places like El Canon, a small community outside of Managua, Nicaragua, where impact of generational poverty is experienced on a daily basis, many people believe nothing can ever change. Sadly, they see themselves as destined for a life of less than, convinced that anything beyond that is an impossibility for them. This is hopelessness and, while it is more pronounced in circumstances such as poverty, it can infect any of us. Like my son struggling to believe he will ever hit a baseball again, we can do the same with a myriad of circumstances in our lives.

I was recently listening to a podcast in which the host was interviewing Henry Cloud, a well-know psychologist, author, and, speaker among other accomplishments. During the interview, Cloud said one of the most limiting factors in our life is believing something is not possible, or at least not possible for me. Cloud, of course, did clarify that certain things are not possible for us due to legitimate limitations (like me playing in the NBA as a 5′ 8″ person with limited basketball ability), but most of those things fall in the realm of fantasies. The issue arises when we use that frame of reference for things that are very much a possibility for us. In these cases, we create a mental map that leads us to the failure we expected. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy of sorts and I have seen it in myself and others. In many ways, it is buying into hopelessness.

So, does what you believe impact your reality? Yes, and the consequences can be tragic. The good news is it works the opposite way as well.

Before, I go any further, I am not talking about the concept of “manifesting” something. I do not believe a person can create something out of thin air through the power of positive thinking. However, I do believe there is power in seeing beyond our current circumstances to believe that a different future is possible. This not just a mental game but is based on a belief that there is a God who loves us and created us on purpose and for a purpose. If that is true, and this God is in control, he is for us and there is a possibility of a different story.

This is what it looks like to have hope. It is not ignoring reality but rather believing that a different story is still possible if we take steps in that direction. With a conviction that a different future is possible, we are in a much better position to take the steps necessary to make it our reality.

This was where my conversation went with my son as we drove to his baseball practice. I said, “Buddy, I don’t know if you will hit the ball at practice, but I do know you probably won’t hit it if you don’t believe it is possible.” I told him, in terms a seven-year-old could understand (hopefully), that our minds have a way of making sure we are right. If you don’t believe you can hit the baseball, you are going to really struggle to hit it. But, if you decide you can hit the baseball, even if your current reality says otherwise, there is a great chance you will be the kind of kid who hits a baseball.

The same is true for us. If we grab onto real hope and believe change is possible, we have a much better shot at making it a reality. The truth is we are filled with God-given potential waiting to be realized. Yes, we live in a broken world, but that doesn’t mean the brokenness has the final say. Instead, choose to lean into real hope and believe a different story is possible. You never know how much that might impact your reality.

James Belt

Click here for more resources to help you bring hope to others, including more information about my book, Hope Realized!