I like to say, especially when facing a tough task or serious issue that needs resolution, “I am ordained to be hopeful.” As a minister in the church of Jesus Christ I see the world and the people I serve through the lens of the resurrection story. Easter tells us death is not the end. God sees beyond the grave to new life.

This is one of the reasons I love baseball. There is no clock. The Royals may be losing 9-0 with two outs in the bottom of the 9th inning and even though it is highly unlikely they will come back to win, every baseball fan knows it is still possible. All they need is 10 hits in a row!

Once in awhile, not often, but a few times over the years, I find myself feeling like the issues of the day are too complex or the world is too angry or fear is too real. In those moments my ordination day and the great hope that was born in my soul feels like something from another lifetime. Do you ever have one of those days? A day when nothing seems to go right and it’s all you can do to make it through?

My wife can tell almost instantly when I am having one of those days. She will ask, “What’s happening in your prayer life? What are you praying about? How much time have you spent in quiet this week listening to the Spirit?”

She knows that prayer and quiet are the two key ingredients not only in my ministry but in my life too. We had a conversation like this last year. It was one of those days. The next morning I began my day reading the fifth chapter of Paul’s letter to the church in Rome. He writes, “Suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint…”

Hope does not disappoint. Maybe I’ll have those words made into a poster for my wall. They are a simple reminder not only of my ordination vows and the commitments I made to God but also a clear and simple restatement of the presence of God in our lives no matter what we are facing.

Believing in hope does not mean we put on a goofy fake smile and pretend like everything is alright. No, not at all. Hope is the willingness to name the suffering, to face the issue—whatever it is—and move forward in faith believing that God is with us, even in death.

Because hope does not disappoint.

Grace and peace to you,