Last week I was sitting in a circle of people and the subject of ‘hope’ came up. It seems to be happening more and more these days. You are talking about the church and the subject turns to hope. You are discussing last night’s news and the subject turns to hope. You are sharing your review of a movie you saw over the weekend and the subject turns to hope. You are discussing the upcoming elections, the Timberwolves, the upcoming winter….whatever…and the subject turns to hope. The circle had gathered to listen and learn from Fritz Hull  who has spent his life educating, advocating, and living with a passion for the Earth, not always very easy work. As he shared his story I asked him where, in these times, he finds hope to continue the work in the face of global climate change and all that seems to be happening in the world.

His eyes gleamed as he told us about a project that he had begun. He had invited several of his friends to write an essay about hope….where they found it, how they kept it, what they might do to ensure its presence in the world. His plan was to compile all of these essays into a book. Then he handed out a card with the words "The Resurgence of Hope" on it….no doubt the possible title for this book. On the back of the card were these words by Vaclav Havel: "The kind of hope I often think about I understand above all as a state of mind, not a state of the world. Either we have hope within us or we don’t; it is a dimension of the soul; it’s not essentially dependent on some particular observation of the world or estimate of the situation. Hope is no prognostication. It is an orientation of the spirit,an orientation of the heart;it transcends the world that is immediately experienced, and is anchored somewhere beyond its horizons."

So often I confuse ‘hope’ with ‘wish’. I hope for this ‘thing’ or I hope a certain situation will happen….when what I really mean is "I wish". The hope that Havel speaks of goes so much deeper than the wishing on a star kind of hope. Soul deep, spirit deep. To the core of us deep. This hope is a way of walking, living, being in the world with all of its failures, pitfalls, grief. It is a seed within us that must be nurtured and tended. It is also a spiritual practice that must be given time and attention.

"We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul"…….Hebrews 6:19

I’m not sure I agree with Havel……either/or? Perhaps hope is only hidden or forgotten or untapped. Seems as if this might be a perfect time to peel back that layers and allow it to flourish.