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Fortune Cookie Friday: There Is Always Hope

Fortune Cookie Friday: There Is Always Hope

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I find it fortuitous that my current fortune shows up as we move into Easter weekend, especially as we move out of the pandemic.

Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus after his crucifixion. Remembering that moment is a way to renew daily hope that we have victory over sin.

Today’s fortune reminded me of John 1 (NIV):

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Jesus is the light, and the light shines brightest in the dark.

Yes, we do live in dark times. We have lived through a year of distancing ourselves from family and friends. We have lost loved ones to illness. We shut down the economy to stave off infection. And yet, we still have wars, hate, and our nation’s culture has slipped into decadence. There doesn’t seem like there is much one can do about it, but there is always hope.

This isn’t the first time our nation has seen turmoil, and it won’t be the last.

THESE are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated.Thomas Paine, The Crisis No. I (written 19 December 1776, published 23 December 1776)

Paine wrote these words in the Pennsylvania Journal during the revolutionary war. General George Washington’s troops had suffered humiliating losses in New York to the British and retreated to Pennsylvania’s McConkey’s Ferry on the Delaware River opposite Trenton, New Jersey.

The General knew that the men’s spirits were low and that if their morale didn’t improve, they would lose the war. He printed pamphlets of Paine’s writing and had the men read them aloud. Hope spread through the ranks and lead the men to victory.

Our victory over dark times requires us to seek out hope, but hope doesn’t have to come from the inspirational words of great leaders and thinkers. It can come from the smallest form of optimism.

We can be happy that the sun shines or a rainbow shimmers in the gray sky. The sound of laughter or the tinkle of wind chimes can brighten our day. Most importantly, we can find hope within our hearts—we only need to let it bloom and grow.

So as we enter Easter, open your heart to those around you. Spread hope to anyone that needs it. Let the light shine through the darkness and lead us to victory.

Happy Easter!

 

Featured image: Banksy’s There is Always Hope (2002) – London

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