Dear friends, it struck me today that there’s always hope. Even when it seems as if nothing could possibly turn out well, when it seems that a bitter end has finally darkened the tunnel, there’s hope. I believe—truly from the depths of my soul—that the Lord will bless us, wants to bless us, if we can hold to the faith and have a perfect brightness of hope.

I know it seems like some sort of bizarre alchemy or magic when I say that the brutal death of a loved one, the dissolution of a marriage, the sundering of a family, the loss of one’s identity are all illuminated by hope. That this all can all turn to good, that death or heartache aren’t the end. But there it is.

There’s more to this life, beloved fellow travelers, than the senses can grasp. I’ve seen faith and prayer work miracles, I’ve known love to be stronger than hate…I’ve seen hope becoming a blinding light for good. I was talking to a friend the other day about miracles and angels, about those things we can’t see. She was talking about crystal therapy and how she swears it works, and the Shakespeare quote came to mind: “There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”

I feel like the more we “think” we know, the less we believe: “When they are learned, they think they are wise.” I think we find it hard to believe in that which we can’t see. Like hope. But I believe that science is just a fingertip in the ocean of all of that which is, a power and knowledge that is seen as well as unseen. Put in another way, I believe God works on principles of science—or maybe principles of science work through the power of God—and we have not even begun to grasp that knowledge. An airplane a thousand years ago would seem like magic. The power of faith and hope now seem like magic. I think they’re all the same.

Don’t lose faith; don’t lose hope. Human hope has built civilizations. It’s done more good than any of us can ever know. It starts with a spark, a flash in the darkness. Find your spark, and then allow hope to grow.

Choose Joy.

—A