I am thinking about you. You are on my heart and my mind as I reflect on what it means to keep our hope during these times when things seem to be bananas. What does it mean to keep our hope during times when the world struggles to love their neighbor, during times when sickness is riddling bodies, during times when relationships are fighting to endure, during times when burdens are feeling like almost too much to bear and the way forward seems more foggy than clear. What does it mean to keep our hope?
To keep hope is to lift our eyes and remember that our God is faithful. To keep hope is to believe that love will outlast hate because it always has, that healing will rise above sickness, that grace will outshine despair. Hope is not wishful thinking. Hope is expectation in our God who always keeps promises, for “the word of the Lord is right and true; God is faithful in all God does” (Psalm 33:4). Our God is faithful to keep promises to us, and that is why we hope with confidence.
So, when the days are long, let hope give you strength. When your spirit feels tired, let hope remind you that our God is present. When tomorrow feels unknown, let hope reassure you that our God is already there, having gone ahead of us.
Keep your hope, Orchard family. Our God is still doing amazing things, and your story is a part of that promise.
Trusting in the Hope God,
Rev. Tam
