Have Hope!

The words of the prophet Isaiah ring so true. To a nation weary and worried, Isaiah wrote these words of encouragement and promise: “Strengthen the weak hands and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are of a fearful heart, ‘Be strong! Do not fear’…for the wilderness shall be glad and the desert shall rejoice and bloom.” I like to think that all living things, not just human beings, but also trees and rivers and animals and flowering bushes sense the power of resurrection. Diverse and delightful creation, sometimes besieged by worry and hard times, still draws hope from the message of Easter. How can we not?

My desert home has lost control. The dry land is bursting in color. Excessive, rampant, flagrant beauty is everywhere. Driving along some of our major roadways is like moving through a tunnel of vibrant colors, and people of faith, people who grasp the meaning of resurrection, rejoice in hope. So, today I will have a conversation with my weak hands and feeble knees, and I will thank God for the reminder and the reality of hope in difficult times. Maybe you should, too.