Hope in Difficult Times...

“Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you…” 1st Peter 3:14b-15

Hope. 

I have had a number of conversations recently with people who are feeling hopeless in these turbulent times. I get it. These are difficult days. Each tweet, each blurt of social media, each glance at the news adds to levels of collective stress. And this stress erodes our grasp on hope.

Some suggest that we are, as a society, losing hope in the future.   The ever expanding number of films and television shows that depict a dystopian tomorrow gives painful testimony to this.   Optimism, onscreen or off in these days, is a scarce  commodity.  Enthusiasm and creativity also suffer as the ongoing assault on morality and truth continue unabated.  Whether it's fake news or fake leaders, we have stepped, or been dragged, into a time of blurred lines and disintegrating social contracts.  

In the refracting light of this deliberately created confusion, it is time for people of faith to stake their claim on the hope that Peter describes as residing "in us (1st Peter 3:15)."   This hope, though living in us, is of God and is not only for us as a people, but is for our society, our nation and our planet.    Please understand.  This is not a mere request or desire for hope.  It is a profound insistence on hope.   It is a deep willingness to risk hope; to live into hope; to become hope.   

As the absurd smog of lies continues to blur our vision, the hope for which we reach becomes a tool for survival and yes, salvation.  This hope, though, involves struggle.   It's important to be clear here.  There is no wiggle room to avoid the reality that pursuing this hope is no walk in the park.    It's easy to hope when the times are good. With clear skies and full bellies, hope is within easy reach. But the truth is that easy hope like this is the same as being a vegetarian between meals. 

The hope for which we will be held accountable (1st Peter 3:15) is the hope that matters most in the tough times. This hope knows how to dream.   This hope has a liberated and unruly imagination.   This hope sheds the cynicism and despair which are the stock and trade of contemporary utterance.   This hope moves us as a people to challenge and overcome the present darkness.  This hope calls us to follow the way of Jesus no matter where it leads.

So let us be ready to make our defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in us.