Week Twenty: Hope. May 14 – The Undercurrent of Hope
We can never enter upon the path of virtue unless we have hope as our guide and companion. Pelagius
Gregg’s Reflection
We live in the now and not yet. It is a trait of the Christian journey to hope for the breaking in of the Kingdom, to hold onto hope in the bleakest of times. Knowing God is with us through everything is a reason for hope. Wade in with us.
When I look back at my journey, hope was not something I was born with—it came to me through the touch of the Holy Spirit long before I believed. I can still see the canyon walls and the mountain peaks from that first road trip with Genie, just months after our wedding. Something in those wild places stirred a longing for God that I didn’t yet understand, but I carried it with me until, years later, I could name it as hope.
Returning to the Campground in Canyonlands where we camped in 1973. We realized people had camped here for thousands of years.
Over time, I learned that hope doesn’t erase the reality of hardship—it runs beneath it, steady and sure. James Finley’s image of God as a presence who protects us from nothing but sustains us in all things has anchored me in seasons of loss, uncertainty, and grief. This is the hope that allows me to face reality with eyes wide open, while still believing the story isn’t over.
That’s the undercurrent I trust today. Even when I can’t see around the bend, hope keeps me rooted in God’s character and promises. It reminds me that the future belongs to Him, and because of that, I can live with open hands, knowing the current will carry me exactly where I need to be.
Scripture
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13
Ancient Quotes
We can never enter upon the path of virtue unless we have hope as our guide and companion.
Pelagius, Letter to Demetrias
Modern Quotes
Christian hope is not optimism; it is the stubborn insistence that, in Jesus Christ, God’s new world has already begun and will one day be complete.
N.T. Wright, Surprised by Hope
Journaling Prompts
- When have you experienced hope before you could name it?
- How does hope help you face reality without denial?
- Where do you sense God sustaining you right now, even in difficulty?
- What would living with open hands look like for you this week?
👉 Go deeper into this week’s theme:
Read the full Week 20 Reflection: Hope