Isaiah 40:31

But those who hope in the Lord

    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.

Lord, does Hope expire?

Does Hope spoil if left

on the shelf for too long?

What is Hope’s shelf-life?

Its “good-by” date?

Lord, I think we all have

that one can of Hope,

sitting dusty and dented,

way back in that part

of the spirit that flared

to life a few months,

or years, or decades ago,

that part of the spirit

that came to life one day

and inspired us with so much

joy and promise that we canned

a bit of that joy and slapped

Hope on the label.

Hope sustains us.

Hope fills us.

It renews us.

But for how long, Lord?

How long does Hope last?

How long before we toss Hope aside

and wearily replace it with cynicism?

O, Lord, we need some fresh Hope, today.

We need Hope that has been

growing in the sun.

We need Hope that bends

and bows to the sunrise.

We need Hope that is wild

and leafy green,

that is the home to both

caterpillar and chrysalis.

We need Hope that gives

birth to new life,

the kind of Hope that renews

our strength and gives

our spirits room and wings to fly.

Lord, please fill us again with Hope.

Amen.