In the pursuit of joy, sometimes I need to dig a bit deeper. When I look at an economy that's struggling, systems that are insufficient, friends who are hurting, joy seems too much to hope for. Which makes me think about what it is I am hoping for.
In preparation for a talk that I ended up not giving (!), I spent some time this fall thinking about hope. Since the focus of most of this past year had been on being "present," hope wasn't on my radar, being one of those future-oriented words. The invitation to speak about hope started the wheels turning. This morning as I was walking, I caught myself thinking again about hope and the three categories that I had begun exploring. Perhaps I can flesh them out a little more in a later post, but I'll at least throw them out today as a way to get the conversation going. They are hopes, not just for me, but for all of us.
I hope that, in the end, all shall be well and all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well. (Julian of Norwich)
I hope that the desires that were hardwired into me (and you) upon birth will be met, and that we will fulfill the purposes for which we were created.
I hope that I (and you) will be enough for today, that as we live openly and wisely, the gifts of a loving universe and the Spirit of a gracious God will empower us to love well and meet the challenges and receive the blessings of the moment.
In preparation for a talk that I ended up not giving (!), I spent some time this fall thinking about hope. Since the focus of most of this past year had been on being "present," hope wasn't on my radar, being one of those future-oriented words. The invitation to speak about hope started the wheels turning. This morning as I was walking, I caught myself thinking again about hope and the three categories that I had begun exploring. Perhaps I can flesh them out a little more in a later post, but I'll at least throw them out today as a way to get the conversation going. They are hopes, not just for me, but for all of us.
I hope that, in the end, all shall be well and all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well. (Julian of Norwich)
I hope that the desires that were hardwired into me (and you) upon birth will be met, and that we will fulfill the purposes for which we were created.
I hope that I (and you) will be enough for today, that as we live openly and wisely, the gifts of a loving universe and the Spirit of a gracious God will empower us to love well and meet the challenges and receive the blessings of the moment.
