We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.

2 Corinthians 4:8-10

The topic of one of my classes this week has been hope. Christians have an incredible capacity to hope for better things.

What is it that keeps us hoping against hope? What is it that keeps us going, even when we see our hopes crushed. Especially in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community, we have seen our hopes dashed many times. The life and untimely death of Matthew Shepard is a hope crusher for us. We had hoped that kind of crime would no longer be acceptable. Despite the outrage, we still have no laws on the books to help punish those who act violently on their hatred. We had hoped for such action.

But we continue to hope for that action. What keeps us going? What keeps us reaching for the things we do not yet have?

J. Deotis Roberts provides the answer in Liberation and Reconciliation: A Black Theology that "the promises and ideas of the Christian faith inspire us to keep 'reaching.' Indeed, a Christian dies reaching."

It is the promises of the Christian faith that keep us reaching. We are promised that though we are afflicted we will not be crushed; though we are perplexed we will not be driven to despair; though we are persecuted, we will not be forsaken; though so many of us, like Matthew, have been struck down, we will not be destroyed.

Our hope will never go back into the closet. Instead, bolstered by the promises of our faith, we boldly proclaim our hope that one day all God's children will live in peace. Often, it feels like despair, a hope against hope, but it is this hope, this reaching for Christ's justice in the world that pushes us on.

As Paul says in Romans 8:24, "For in this hope we are saved."

Blessings,
Candace