Row upstream with me, against the negativity and the circumstances that seek to dictate your attitude. Make the choice to live each day with Hope!

Joseph J. Bucci ——Bio and Archives--March 27, 2026

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Nicholas Kristof, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, has witnessed some of the most tragic events in modern history—from the Tiananmen Square massacre to the genocide in Darfur (Kristof, 2024). In a recent interview, Kristof noted that, like a muscle, “hope is something we can all learn to develop” (Bowler, 2024). Author Jason Reynolds, an award-winning author of more than 20 books for children and young adults (Reynolds, 2022), describes hope in a similar fashion, calling it a “muscular practice”—a conscious, intentional choice requiring stamina and grace. It is the ability to catch one’s breath when exhaustion sets in, rather than dwelling in a constant, forced state of optimism (Tippett, 2025).

According to these authors, hope is not simply an emotion, but a disciplined practice (Bowler, 2024). Like any muscle, we must choose to exercise it, or it will atrophy. Yes, hope is a choice.

For our family, hope has been a lifelong practice rooted in the faithfulness of answered prayer. We have held onto God through the darkest of circumstances, and He has proven faithful time and again. I prayed for forty years that my oldest daughter would find a man of faith to share her life with; this past year, God brought such a man into her life. Such experiences build a hopeful expectation that God will keep His promises. The answer may be delayed, but God is faithful to fulfill His word (Joshua 23:14; Luke 1:45).

Hope is a choice, but it is not always an easy one. I am currently coping with a progressive, degenerative disorder. To better understand my condition, I joined several online support communities. This week, a member posted a query titled, “What value is a past for a man with no future?” The post expressed deep frustration as the author watched the disease erode his physical autonomy. His dejection was so profound that he felt he could no longer perceive a hopeful future. It was painful to read—not only because I share his diagnosis, but because of the palpable despair in his words.

I don’t often respond to online forums or Facebook or things of that nature. I know that my opinions and my values are different than many people. My values are based on my relationship with Jesus Christ, who restored my past to give me “a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). I felt compelled to respond to this fellow traveler. I shared that while I face the daily frustrations of this same disorder, I disagree with the framing of his despair. My past is not a fruitless void; it is a testament to the goodness that God has shown me. As the Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians, God has answered my prayers “far more abundantly than I could ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20).

Several others responded to my hopeful positivity, wondering how I could maintain this optimistic attitude, searching for some sort of peace through meditation or music. When I encouraged them to find solace in the Great Shepherd as described in Psalm 23, the response was sharp. Our original author labeled my encouragement as trying to find tangible comfort in “bronze age fables, the supernatural or magic.”

It is certainly frustrating to go through this degenerative process, but I disagree with how the original author framed his depressing post. Our past lives are a reflection of the goodness that God has shown us. I can testify for hours about God working in ways that were completely foreign to me, providing solutions and answers I never could have expected. God always knew better than me, and He always had a better solution than I might have envisioned and that I might have convinced myself was the only answer.

My online peers are rowing down a river toward a future they perceive as tragic. I choose to row upstream, fighting against this disorder and seeking to glorify the God who has given me an abundant life – now and in the future! How can I be anything but hopeful?

No discussion of hope would be complete without considering its role in the 2008 presidential campaign. Barack Obama leveraged hope as a unifying theme (The Barack Obama Foundation, 2026), famously declaring in his inaugural address, “on this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear” (Westphalen & Marshall, 2026). While this message was effective at mobilizing voters, some view his legacy as more symbolic than legislatively significant (Kamarck, 2018). Author J. Creigan argues that while hope can sustain us, it is merely a tool, not a solution (Creigan, 2025). He suggests we must confront life as it is now, rather than in some future state. This view, however, is precisely what leads to the depression felt by those whose physical health is declining.

I often think of the Apostle Peter, who in his older age reconciled himself to a life that would end outside of his own control—exactly as Jesus predicted (see John 21). Peter encourages us to remember that we are not anchored in magic or fables, but in a living, all-powerful God. Peter had Hope beyond his impending death, because he himself saw the glory of Christ on the Holy Mountain (2 Peter 1:17). He wrote this as his own life’s journey was drawing near to an end, to encourage his readers then and now to have Hope in an unseen future – not based on cleverly devised myths (2 Peter 1:16). Peter wrote to stir up his readers, reminding them often of the reality of Christ and His promises so that they would not lose hope. Earthly hope fails when the body fails, while the hope of Christ endures!

While hope was a political commodity in 2008, today it is often framed as mere motivation—a supplement to personal responsibility (Creigan, 2025). I disagree. Hope is the muscle we exercise to drive determination when the future is shrouded. Hope is the choice we make to crystallize our vision when the darkness of despair clouds our perception. We do not draw our hope from political platforms or medicinal miracles. We exercise hope as a discipline to maintain our focus on the Author of Hope (Romans 15:13).

I write these words to someone who may be struggling through life with a disease that is taking over their body and draining the vitality and energy out of them. There is a greater Hope, and it comes not from an earthly campaign or letter-writing or your well-meaning therapist but from a Heavenly Victory! There is a heavenly home, which Jesus has been preparing for us from since the time of His Divine departure (John 14:3). Row upstream with me, against the negativity and the circumstances that seek to dictate your attitude. Make the choice to live each day with Hope!

Bowler, K.C. (2024, September 3). Nicholas Kristof: Is There Still Hope? A Journalist’s Honest Answer. Kate C. Bowler: Everything Happens

Creigan, J. (2025, April/May). Hope: Blessing or Curse? Philosophy Now

Kamarck, E. (2018). The Fragile Legacy of Barack Obama. Brookings Institute

Kristof, N.D. (2024). Chasing Hope: A Reporter’s Life. New York: The Knopf Doubleday Group.

Reynolds, J. (2022). Jason Writes Books.

The Barack Obama Foundation (2026). 18 Years of Hope: The Evolution of the Obama Legacy. The Barack Obama Foundation.

Tippett, K. (2025, June 26). Hope Is a Muscle: Interview with Jason Reynolds. Aspen Festival 2025

Westphalen, G. & Marshall, S. (2026). The Obama Legacy: A Promise of Hope. ABC News

Joseph J. Bucci has served as a Pastor, Author, HR Director, Director of Training, Professor and Consultant. He teaches in the College of Arts and Sciences at Regent University in Virginia Beach. He has written two books and numerous articles on the theme of integrating faith with life and our work. You can contact Dr. Bucci at: Joseph J Bucci

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