“I hope, Lord. My whole being hopes, and I wait for God’s promise.” (Psalm 130:5, CEB)

My grandfather passed away several weeks ago and on our way to his funeral, I announced to my wife and children that, in honor of the times my extended family would sit around and crank a homemade ice-cream maker at my grandparents’ home, I would like something similar for Father’s Day.

I got my wish. My wife thoughtfully looked high and low on eBay and found one, though it will take a little work before the ice cream can happen. The canister (pictured above) needs a some TLC to get rid of the rust and I haven’t had time yet to take that project on. So it sits in my office in plain sight, a symbol of the goodness that is to come.

I’m sure there are many who are doing some deep reflection about the state of our country today and, for those who are unhappy with its direction, hope may seem like a rare commodity. But hoping in the midst of unease, even despair, is still a vital and needed act. I have drawn great inspiration from this little verse in Psalm 130 in recent days. To face the day saying not just that I hope but that my whole being hopes is a remarkable act of courage. The verse also reminds, though, that patience and waiting is part of the process. Waiting is almost harder than hoping!

And yet we must not lose hope as an orientation toward our lives, this country, and this world. In his book, Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson wrote about Vaclev Havel, the Czech dissident and statesman and the need for eastern Europeans to hope. They needed an orientation of spirit. “The kind of hope that creates a willingness to position oneself in a hopeless place and be a witness, that allows one to believe in a better future, even in the face of abusive power. That kind of hope makes one strong,” Stevenson wrote.

There are days when all we see and experience is rust. Hope inspires us to envision, work toward and experience something else. Something as simple as ice cream. Something as transformative as true justice for all.