a prisoner of hope

i’ve been a prisoner to a lot of different things. and people, in a sense.

i’ve been a prisoner to acceptance and validation.
a prisoner to performance and accolades.
a prisoner to your perception of me.
i’ve been a prisoner to ideals and dreams. some have come to fruition. many have not.
i’m usually a prisoner to my past, my sins and shortcomings.
a prisoner to fear. loneliness. never being good enough.
and a prisoner to not feeling loveable.

but i have never been a prisoner of hope.

hope has always been a faithful friend. someone i can come back to whenever i have nowhere else to turn. and in a sense, hope oftentimes is all we have left.

but i don’t want hope to be simply my friend.
i want to be its prisoner.
i want to be unable to escape hope’s reality.
to have it chained around my ankle, carrying it wherever i may limp.

hope is more than a wish. it’s more than a dream that things will get better someday.
it’s an assurance. a promise. a place to hang your hat.
as real as any prison cell.
except this prison is filled with light.
and laughter.
and joy.
and something unswerving, like an anchor.

being a prisoner of hope sets me free.

“return to the stronghold, O prisoners of hope…”
zechariah 9:12