atheistic state ploughed them down; by night, believers
restored crosses to the hill as a silent witness to their
hope. We know who won that showdown. Today there
are hundreds of thousands of crosses planted on the now
famous Hill of Crosses.
war's devastation, imprisonment, natural disasters or
other forms of suffering--determined musicians, artists,
teachers, pastors and all who tenaciously hold on to
beauty and truth inspire hope.
says. In his book about Paul's letter to the Romans, More
than Conquerors
takes the promises of faith and appropriates them to
oneself." Hope in Christ and His promises stabilizes us,
especially through uncertain times.
active hope as he works to secure it. It's that way with
Christian hope, too. As Peter says, we are given "...new
birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus
Christ" (1 Peter 1:3).
through whom the hope of harvest and harvest of hope
are fulfi lled." He continues in verse:
The seeds of light
Sown in the darkness round your cross,
Germinate, and
Continues in the certainty of your presence.
Ful
Vulnerable. Not yet full grown.
Measuring each day
In the new leaves of little victories.
And, help me, Lord, often in small defeats.
But still I cling to hope.
And know you walk with me.
hopefully better than arriving (as Robert Louis Steven-
son once suggested)? Perhaps sometimes, in the short
term. But the living hope God offers us is superior for
life's daily journey, its unplanned curves and its fi nal
destination.