Hope is always present, despite life’s circumstances.

But to appreciate it, it must be in view.

Hope is a soul posture—conveyed through shoulders, back, and face. To hope would require them to shift both perspective and posture upward.

Yet how heavy our heads can be. How difficult it often is to overcome life’s burdens—the literal weight on our shoulders; to rise above the gravity of devastating circumstances to gain upward momentum.

It’s easy to continue down that path, stuck in a progressively kyphotic state, until all we see is the ground and the shattered pieces that cut our feet as we try to move forward.

But then, standing right across from despair, is a reminder: hope remains.

The call to shift our gaze is often best delivered by someone whose focus stays hope-forward. They model and assist a change in soul-posture, through standing in nearly the same position but with a contrasting vantage point.

There is the gentle invitation to look up. To turn our eyes upward. A subtle reintroduction to the boundless possibilities that still lie ahead.

“Why are you cast down, oh my soul?”

“Can these dry bones live?”

An ongoing dialogue with the body—often needs an outside voice. Not just to answer, but to point us in the direction of healing.

Sometimes, one needs help to hope.

Hope not to ignorantly dismiss what is broken, but to take a much-needed pause—to shift, and remember what it looks like for things to be whole.