26 Mar Upside-Down Nature of Hope
The surprise found in suffering.
One of the most upside-down, seemingly contradictory things about hope is that it is born by its polar opposite. It comes when we are facing hopeless situations. The Bible states: “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Rom 5:3-5)....