Hope

May the God of hope

fill you with all joy and peace

-Romans 15:13

 This line from scripture is written on the back of Hope for Each Day, Words of Wisdom and Faith by Billy Graham, the Southern Baptist minister turned TV evangelist. What a lovely blessing to begin the New Year.

I received the book from my brother-in-law Matt a few years ago. He was staying with us during a deer hunt. The book was on the kitchen counter. “Billy Grahm?” I asked.

“I know it’s crazy,” he said.” But his message gets me through the day.”

I opened the book. At the top of each page is a bible verse followed by a reflection or anecdote by Billy Grahm. At the bottom of each page is a section called “Hope for Today”. Some of these daily thoughts remind us that we are human:

January 8

God offers forgiveness and freedom to those shackled by sin and shame. Today, through Christ, you have the option of letting go of guilt and embracing grace.

Others call us to action:

January 10

In what ways have you been trying to create happiness in your life? Ask God to redirect your efforts and to give you a heart that seeks His kingdom more than worldly pleasures.

“I want you to have the book,” Matt said.

I was raised Irish Catholic and earned my teaching degree at Mount Mary University, a women’s Catholic college in Wisconsin where I studied theology and world religions as one might history. I feel most connected to my faith when reading works by Dante, Saint Augustine, Dorothy Day, and the Jesuit priest and poet Gerard Manley Hopkins. What could a TV evangelist teach me?

I didn’t want to appear ungrateful, so I accepted Matt’s gift. He underlined passages and made a few comments in the margins. While reading each morning, I learned about things that mattered to my brother-in-law. It was like a secret language we shared. Neither of us brought up the book the next time we saw each other. There are far more important things to consider when giving and receiving gifts.

A year later my nephew Michael shared his faith journey, and it seemed fitting to pass the book on to him. Michael, Matt, and I are very different people who seek the same truth. And this to me is hope. Hope that we can see past our differences. Hope that we can put God and faith above our human desires. Hope that we can reach across the abyss to love our family, our friends, and those in our communities.

I ordered a copy of Hope for Each Day after giving mine to Michael. I still read from it every morning, missing Matt’s underlined passages and notes. As I sit with a cup of tea and a cat on my lap contemplating Billy Graham’s daily message, I wonder what he would have to say today, during a time, when quiet language, prayer, and reflection, are no longer enough.