Perseverance, Character, Hope

All of us recognize that we will confront suffering in life. The apostle Paul even suggests we are to rejoice in our suffering, for suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame.

Here we will describe the sensibility of suffering capable of using suffering to strengthen our resilience muscle in heart, soul, and mind. With purpose and our unique essence, we can learn to persevere. Our character is developed and revealed in this perseverance, culminating in hope. Hope is not optimism but confidence, connection, and commitment to a desired end.

My father provided a firsthand account of how this can be accomplished. Born into abandonment and raised in an orphanage, he showed a practical path from suffering to hope. The final hope he revealed, after nearly eighty-six years and on his last day on earth, was when he saw the King of kings sitting in a chair by a hospital room window.

For hope never disappoints because God's love has been poured out into our hearts.

-- C. R. Dimes