“. . . . Hope is a revolutionary patience . . . . Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don’t give up” (Anne Lemott, Bird by Bird).

I heard a quote that said that courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes it’s the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, “I will try again tomorrow.” I think hope looks a lot like that.

It’s not always the unwavering confidence that no obstacle can weaken. It’s the stubborn belief in a better outcome, that God does indeed work all things together for good. It’s a revolutionary patience that while it grows weary and heavy-laden, it never quite runs out or completely goes away. There’s always a mustard seed of faith that perseveres in spite of odds or obstacles.

It’s a day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute kind of thing. It’s taking deep breaths and doing the very next thing, taking the next step, trusting God for the next 60 seconds.

“Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul – and sings the tunes without the words – and never stops at all” (Emily Dickinson).