“We must accept finite disappointment but not lose infinite hope.” These words of Martin Luther King are a reminder that we must make hope like our own beating heart--it beats all day long, on good days and bad days alike. When we are disappointed, let down, beaten down, hope is always a choice we have.
I am a word nerd. I like to understand where the meaning of words come from. "Hope" is an English feminine name derived from the Old English word "hopian" referring to a positive expectation. So hope is being in a place of having a desire or expectation that a positive thing will happen. This is hard when things feel dark . More radically, it can mean having trust in that positive outcome occurring. This is a very, very hard and sometimes may feel even impossible when we are in a dark place. The word "radical" comes from the Latin "radix" meaning root. So we need to be rooted in our choice to trust in hope. Roots are okay in dark places, in fact, they grow and even thrive there.
Let us hold hope in this week of remembering Martin Luther King's message of freedom, equality, justice and love. Let us hold hope in celebrating the inauguration of a new season of leadership in our country. Let us hope and expect that good things are coming, let us trust in this hope.
Let us be rooted in this hope!
