The Gift of Hope

Lord, this morning I woke up
exhausted and weary,
yet aware of this tiny flicker
of faith, this pilot light in my soul
that still sparks with hope.

Why do I hope?

I hope because this morning,
when it was still dark,
I stopped on my walk
and stood for a moment
in the darkness.

I stopped and stood
in the deepest shadows
and I stared up at the sky
and the stars were still there, twinkling.

And the planets, Saturn and Jupiter
and their moons—were still there,
steady, unfaltering lights.

And all of them, the stars, the planets
and the moons seemed brighter
than ever, growing brighter still,
even as the night grew darker.

I hope because this morning,
this small, black, fluffy, furball of a cat,
sought out my lap, curled up
and fell into such a deep sleep
that his head lolled heavily on my leg
and his body twitched as he dreamed.

I hope because You, Lord,
provide all of these things.
You provide things as magnificent
and grand as the night sky and its stars,
and You provide the smallest of things,
like the soft mew and purr of a cat.

You provide all of these things
for us to hold onto, to count on,
to keep us steady on so that
we do not lose hope even
in the darkest of times.

This is the magic of hope.
This is the gift of hope.
Hope is always there
and hope does not disappoint.

Amen.

1 Peter 3:15
Romans 5:5