hopelessly hopeful

hope is a right now experience -
a story i write about what’s ahead based on the stories i’ve collected from what’s behind.

hope is a forward force -
a result of the goodness chasing after me and the faithfulness that blazes the trail ahead.

there’s a hunger for proximity, proximity to the faithfulness, to see more of it, yet resisting the urge to outrun it. hope hurries me along to find the goodness, yet trusts when i have to wait for it to catch up.

but what happens when i’m still on the same trial, same spot, circling the same mountain? must mean there’s something still here to be learned, some forming still occurring. the training plan is properly delineated. the pace is still in place. if i’m still in this phase, i’m still being prepared to handle the next. the next climb only works when i’ve acclimatized to this one.

if He’s still here, we’re still on track, training still in progress. wearing down the same path until hope is normal here, until the soreness subsides here, then we take new ground.
stay hopeful.

hope may speak to the not yet, but it stands on the already. it’s confident there is goodness coming while trusting there is some here too.

hope is where my feet are, and trusting they won’t stay here. i know too much from where i’ve been to not be curious where i’m going, and minding the gap is hope.

hope with patience is knowing that no time is wasted.
hope with gentleness is knowing provision is not by my hand or effort.
hope with peace says, “it will be okay.”
hope with joy says, “it is okay.”

goodness is here right now.