There are times in life when the weight of injustice, hardship, or personal sorrow feels like a rising tide, threatening to drown out hope. But we are not called to despair. Even in our most uncertain moments, we must resist bitterness. Choosing love over hatred, compassion over apathy, and action over silence is not always easy—but it is necessary. The world needs people of conscience who dare to believe that transformation is possible, even when the odds seem stacked against it.
Hope is not passive. It is a daily, courageous choice to believe that the arc of the moral universe still bends toward justice. We must remain optimistic, even when the path is unclear. And we must never be afraid to speak up, to stand out, or to disrupt systems that diminish human dignity. This kind of “good trouble”—the trouble that speaks truth, lifts voices, and seeks peace—is the very heartbeat of progress. It's how generations before us paved roads of change, and it's how we, too, can make a difference.
We are reminded in Isaiah 43:19 (NRSV): “I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” These words are a promise. When the road disappears, when there seems to be no path forward, the Spirit still moves. As people of courage and hope, let us believe in that new thing God is doing—in our hearts, in our communities, and in this world. Let us make a way together, out of no way.