THERE'S SOMETHING so natural about a feeling of hope. It's our normal inclination to trust in God and to expect to see His goodness and love prevail in our lives. Sometimes, though, when the going is rough, it's not easy to see that things will work out. Maybe an illness, a family disturbance, or a business trouble has gone on for a while, and it seems as though there's no end in sight. Perhaps a series of problems have hit, one right after another, and we're thinking, "What next?" Or maybe we're feeling alone and just plain scared about the future. At such times, we might well wonder, "Will I make it through this?"
Yet even then, even in what seems like the darkest of hours, it's possible to remain hopeful. Calm. Even encouraged. It's possible because of a constant presence in our lives called the Christ. There is no hopeless case where Christ is.
"The light shineth in darkness," says the Bible, and Christ is that light—"the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world."John 1:5, 9. The "true Light" shines right through adversity and can never be defeated. This pure influence of divine goodness is present now in human consciousness. It always has been. It always will be. Nothing—not the severest circumstances, not medical predictions, not others' opinions, not even our own doubts and fears—can ever snuff out Christ. Like a lighthouse on a stormy night, Christ shows the way out of despair and keeps us on a steady course.
