Repeatedly I am reminded of the necessity of hope.
Sometimes I forget hope; sometimes I’m discouraged. But I always come around eventually, finding hope again for a little while longer. That is, if I’m honest, what I’ve become is a beggar for hope. But I think that’s okay; it’s normal.
I am not an optimist. Rather, I’m hopeful. That is, I have come to accept that I get discouraged sometimes, disappointed mostly in myself sometimes, sometimes in others. Yet I have also come to learn that God is patient with me and with everyone else too; and by that patience, by the grace of it, God works his countless small miracles upon us—kindness here, forgiveness there, better prayer and understanding and empathy over here. The miracle of small changes, tiny improvements, in myself or in others: that’s what I see and have come to know is real, the almost imperceptible providence of God, the plain truth that he hasn’t given up us, that he’s still at work.
And so, what that means is we shouldn’t give up either—not on ourselves or on each other. Ever. This, for me, has always been one of the beautiful lessons of Zacchaeus the tax collector, this wonderful story from Luke (Lk 19:1-10). How easy it would have been just to give up on Zacchaeus; there wasn’t much about him that was likeable, you know. And how easy would it have been for Zacchaeus to give up on himself; he probably knew what people thought of him. Think how depressing that is to know you’re not liked. But that’s what’s so beautiful, that despite it all no one gave up. Zacchaeus climbed the tree; he didn’t give up his search for Jesus. And Jesus didn’t give up on him; rather, he included him, reminding everyone that he too was a “descendent of Abraham.”
Which is the lesson. No matter how discouraged we may be, either in ourselves or in others, still, we mustn’t lose hope. If you’re like Zacchaeus, don’t lose hope! You know what Christ thinks of you; he loves you and wants you with him. Don’t listen to those tearing you down! If you’re not like Zacchaeus, but have a Zacchaeus in your life, then don’t lose hope in that person! Don’t tear that person down! Because you know that Christ hasn’t lost hope in him or her. You see what I mean?
No matter our discouragement, either in ourselves or others, we still must hope. Even when it seems pointless, and hope is all we have, we must still always be beggars for hope. Because hope isn’t pointless. Because often it’s all God needs for his miracles—a little hope—miracles for you and for me.
