Hope and Its Eternal Springs
“Hope fills the holes of my frustration in my heart.”
Emanuel Cleaver
The news has not been good lately; I have tried to keep a stiff upper lip and my chin up; it has mostly worked. I’ve used every skill I have learned and gotten back into student mode to learn more. Frankly, the more I learn, the harder it is to NOT get frustrated. What I am learning about resilience, courage, and change is missing in much of our current social environment.
Last night our family got some good news - which felt jarring. I woke up this morning with a little bounce in my step and some energy for the work that lies ahead. One little piece of good news. We did not win the lottery; racial equality has not been achieved; my friends still are diverse and have wildly different opinions about the world and how to make it a better place. (This makes it hard for a person who relies on her friends a LOT for wisdom and perspective.) The news, while good, carries with it no guarantees. There is plenty of room for ambivalence, although it was the best outcome given the circumstances that we as a family could hope for in the summer of 2020.
I’ve never been a big believer in hope and its eternal springs. I’ve tended to think of it as a precious commodity, not to be wasted on trivial matters. When hope shows up I think we should all throw a party, do a little dance...you know the rest. Hope is so powerful that it only takes a smidge to awaken a heart of stone. It has the capacity to override irrational thoughts, questionable fears and legitimate frustrations. It ameliorates depression. Hope and a cup of good coffee can change the world. Sometimes life gets so hard that we miss hope when she shows up for us. Our head is down and we are trudging along; she comes for a visit and we don’t hear her quiet little knock on the door. But here’s the thing about hope: she is one persistent character. She just keeps coming until we notice.
Last night I recognized her visitation in the face of my son; the thumbs up of my husband as I left my zoom lair for the night; the sound of grace and accommodation in the face of a pandemic and I thought, “We are not alone; the world is still a place where God’s Spirit resides and people still incline their head, heart and ears to hear him.” So here’s to you, hope! May we all find some today!
“For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever.”
Psalm 9:18
