Proverbs 23:18

Surely there is a future,

    and your hope will not be cut off.

In the midst of loss,

in the midst of grief,

when our spirits feel empty

and our hearts hollow,

when love is lost,

and faith is bruised,

there remains always,

there at the bottom,

after the onslaught and

the soul-wrenching agony—

in the opening

of Pandora’s box—

there remains … Hope,

and in that Hope,

a guarantee,

a promise for a future

to be lived in,

a future to be filled in,

a future to be loved in,

a future for you,

God’s beloved.

Amen.