Real Stories of a Real Hope
We love singing about hope. But this hope is more than just positive thinking, it's a solid anchor that holds us steady through the storms of life.
Check out some real stories from real people about how they’ve been inspired to hold on to hope and make it through to a bright future.
Richard's Real Story
Check out this awesome real story from our good friend, Richard.
He was going through some pretty tough personal storms, but in the midst of the battle he held on to hope. And he’s coming through to the other side.
We hope his story inspires you as much as it does us!
Future is Bright Podcast
Real People. Real Stories. Real Hope.
The Future is Bright Podcast is space where we chat to real people, with real stories of finding a bright future from the most hopeless times.
As they share their journey, we hope it inspires you that whatever your story and however dark today may seem, with God you have a future filled with hope.
Real People. Real Stories.
Be encouraged by some of these awesome stories people have sent in.
Recently through the COVID-19 crisis that shook the world, my husband and I fell into very difficult times financially. We found ourselves with no house, a loss of income, bills piling up, and not near enough money to cover them. We suddenly felt at sea - nothing was secure and darkness was taking over. As we looked at our future, we realised we were in desperate need of a MIRACLE. In this darkness, my husband and I made a decision to turn to God. To an Anchor of Hope in the waves. The same Anchor of Hope that Caleb sings about in "It's Alright" was also an Anchor for us. In the midst of a hopeless situation, we found HOPE. We were able to cling to the promise that God would bring us through, and that we wouldn’t just survive this crisis, but we would thrive. We held onto our Anchor of Hope and we saw God bring a miracle - groceries were provided, we found a new home (better than we'd imagined) and money came from a variety of sources and we were able to not only pay our bills but had money left over! Through it all, we were able to know that IT WAS ALRIGHT! Because God, our Anchor of Hope, still had us. Our future was STILL bright!
I work in an environment where toughness is king. Doesn't matter where you come from, how old you are or what gender, you prove yourself by never showing real weakness. In this environment I got broken. I had things happen at work and outside work that hurt me so badly I lost sight of any goodness or hope. To survive, I became numb and avoided close relationships with people. I worked a lot of hours because so that nobody could really get to know me well. It wasn't a deliberate, conscious choice; rather it was simply how I managed to keep going. Then I heard the song 'My Song' from Caleb's first EP and it really hit me. It felt like it was so about me and how I was feeling during that time. I knew I had a choice; a choice to lift my hands and look straight up. It was when I did this that I found that God was actually in this black hole with me, not waiting for me to get out but holding my hand and pushing me up. I realised with God with me in the mess, I had hope and I could see a different future
One of my children went through a really tough situation a few years ago. As a Mum you want to do everything for your kids but sometimes you don’t have the power to do that. I remember clearly how helpless I felt. I needed real help so I turned to God. He showed me that He was a faithful Father - someone who could bring real hope and change to their situation. And He did. Everything worked out for my child as God did what man cannot do.
I can remember going through a very dark time in my life and as Caleb sung "My Song" I heard the line "He's scattering the enemy". As I sang that song it went straight into heart and gave me such hope and strength to walk through that dark time. I could feel God's power in that song, especially in the line "He's roaring like a lion". During that line, I just knew, without a doubt, that God was in control and I wasn’t defeated.
Caleb's Real Story
The song, It's Alright, was birthed out of one of the hardest periods of my life. It was my cry of hope, in the midst of the storm, that I was going to make it to the other side. Check out my story in the video below.
Mark & Kirsty's Real Story
Check out a real story from our friends Mark & Kirsty.
These guys are an inspiration. For years they couldn’t have kids, but they held on to hope.
I’ll let them tell the rest of their story in this video.
Future is Bright Story
The story behind the song.
The song Future is Bright has become an anthem for so many people, celebrating the hope for their future.
But when I wrote the song I was actually going through a really hard time. This song was my cry of hope as I chose to hold on to God’s anchor of hope and believe that He had a bright future for me.
I’d love you to watch my story, and I hope it inspires you to walk into the bright future God has for you!
Go Beneath the Lyrics
My songs are such a reflection of my journey.
Every song I’ve written has been so real to me, being birthed out of real life experiences, joys, struggles and choices.
This series of videos is a chance for me to go beneath the lyrics of this track, peel back the layers and chat openly and honestly about what’s underneath.
Real People. Real Stories.
We love sharing stories of people finding hope in their darkness.
I had been battling depression after being ill for a long time and had been struggling to see a time when I would be happy again. I remember one morning opening the bible to Psalm 30 and reading that God could heal me. As I read, it was like He spoke straight to my brokenness and said "I've healed you. Weeping may last the night, but in the morning you will be full of ecstatic joy." Reading and hearing that, where there was darkness and heaviness, I suddenly felt hope and joy for the first time in a long time. I still faced days of challenge and depression, but I had a new hope that one day soon I would be completely free and healed. And today, I am! That sense of darkness and hopelessness no longer hangs over me because I know I have a bright future!
From my teenage years I suffered times of depression, giving a brave face publicly, but privately overcome with sadness and pain in my soul. This was a lifestyle for me which ultimately led to an attempt to suicide, but I was rescued by a supernatural miracle. I later realised that someone, somewhere had prayed for me during that time. I had known God as a child, but it wasn't until later on in life, as a young mother, that I understood who He was and the healing He could bring. When I started looking to God as my hope, He set me free from the depression and led me into my bright future
I work in an environment where the work can be very traumatising and hard to handle. Everyone just tries to numb their feelings in order to survive. Personally, when I heard Caleb's song 'The Future is Bright', it inspired a real sense of hope for me. Now, I often play this song to my friends or colleagues as a way of opening the door to conversations about the darker side of life. I recently shared this song with one of my closest friends and when they heard the song, it cut through their protective shell. She broke down and told me “my future is not bright.” She proceeded to tell me about the darkness in her life and how she had made plans to kill herself. This gave me an opportunity to share my own story of darkness and the reason why I am still alive and why there is hope. She now has hope for herself.
Share Your Own Story
We love collecting Real Stories from Real People. These can be shared in a variety of forms and inspire people all around the world!
It doesn’t have to be the most exciting story in the world – it just has to be real. Whether you’ve found hope amongst broken relationships, mental health battles, physical issues, insecurity or anything else – there are people who need to hear your story!
We especially love hearing stories if our music has inspired or encouraged you in any way!
Your Bright Future
Behind every song, and in each of these stories, is a message that however dark your life may seem, your future can be bright.
I’ve put together a page of resources about your bright future – where I chat more about the true anchor of hope that God provides and the bright future He has designed for you.
If you want to explore more about how your future can be bright, check it out.
