I am concerned about the way we have confused denial and hope. Denial tries to paint a rosy picture by ignoring the tough and the hard stuff. Hope stares despair in the face, and chooses to believe anyway.

It isn't living in fear to acknowledge the tremendous loss of life we have experienced due to Covid-19. To ignore this profound loss isn't hope, it is denial.

It isn't living in fear to acknowledge strained relationships, broken systems, injustices in need to repairing. To ignore these things isn't hope, it is denial.

If we are truly to be a people of hope, we must find the courage to stare our most profound fears in the face and believe we can overcome them anyway.

I believe in a hope that shines bright enough that no darkness can overcome it. I believe in a hope that triumphs over despair rather than minimizing it. The good news is not that the bad news has been glossed over, but that it has been triumphed over.