The Fruit of Hope: Discovering Hope in the Fruits of the SpiritNäide

What is joy but hope wearing a contented smile?

In the book of Philippians, Paul tells us to “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4a, NRSV). That kind of tenacious rejoicing—or joy—can only come when it’s paired with hope.

When we hope, we can have joy regardless of our circumstances. We can look at the worst things the world throws our way and maintain a hope that God hasn’t forgotten us or lost the plot.

That’s not to say that we’re always happy or in a good humor, because joy isn’t just a surface emotion—it’s a state of being.

But when we rely on hope to be the foundation of our joy, we can still be of good cheer no matter what, because we know God is the source of that joy, a source that runs so deep and so wide that it can’t be corrupted by the toxic waste of our culture or our problems.

Even when the worst possible things happen to us, we can maintain our joy because that joy rests on the hope we have in Jesus that he is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Just like joy. Just like hope.