In the first century, people didn’t hold hope in high regard. People thought so little of it that they ridiculed others for demonstrating any semblance of hope.
Roman culture was at the center of this. In grammar school, they had kids try to limit dreaming and hoping by creating what is commonly referred to as a “hardship list,” where they would predict trials, tribulations, and suffering they could encounter in the future and write them down.
Can you imagine how traumatic that would be today if third graders had to journal their most scary and catastrophic fears, writing them down as if they were guaranteed to happen someday?
Is Hope a Weakness?
The Romans wanted their kids to be prepared to handle the situations of hardship they knew would be part of their future. To make it in their world, you had to withstand the suffering. Emotion and sensitivity were liabilities to avoid, while reason and logic were tools for survival in Rome.
If you had hope, you ran the risk of being considered weak, because some in the ancient world believed hope to be like a moral disease (a sign of weakness). It meant you depended on a power outside yourself.
The Hope of the Empty Tomb
If the core tenet of Christianity holds that Jesus rose from the grave, leaving his tomb empty, then who are we to decide what is and isn’t possible for God? If the tomb is empty, isn’t truth possible? Isn’t justice possible? Isn’t healing possible? Isn’t reconciliation possible?
The answer simply must be yes.
The empty tomb means he is risen. The empty tomb means death is not the end of the story. The empty tomb means our hope has merit, what we want is valid, and goodness in the future is possible because the resurrection brings certainty.
I love what pastor Andy Stanley says about this: “If someone predicts their own death and resurrection and pulls it off, I go with whatever that person says.”
‘Easter People in a Good Friday World’
History tells us that Jesus wasn’t the first to claim he was the Messiah. In fact, many religious and political leaders have visited the ancient Near East and made similar claims. However, their religious movements stopped when the government or unbelievers killed them for their heresy.
Until Jesus.
When he died, the government expected the Jesus movement to die with him. But then he changed everything and conquered death. As author Barbara Johnson wrote, his resurrection encouraged his disciples to live as “Easter people living in a Good Friday world.” Because Jesus conquered death, we can live as people of hope and resurrection in a world where good and innocent people get hurt.
Dare to Hope
The resurrection changes everything, and Paul said the same power that raised Jesus from the grave is within each of us (Romans 8:11).
I don’t just desire something good.
I don’t just believe anything is possible.
Resurrection brings the certainty to expect that good is on its way.
Romans 8:28 says, “All things work together for good to them that love God” (KJV).
All things. Even when we’re grieving, and it feels impossible.
But slowly, I began to hold space for grief and hope.
Hope is the confident expectation that good is on its way.
Paul wrote in Romans 5:2–5, “We boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame.”
Remember what ancient Rome taught:
Hardship is coming.
Suffering will happen.
Prepare for it.
When Paul said that we must persevere and prioritize character development, the church in Rome would have nodded in agreement. However, when he said that everything produces a hope that no one can shame, he lost them. A statement like that was groundbreaking. He was reframing, reminding, and reclaiming the sheer goodness of hope.
He was daring to hope, and we can too.
Adapted from Grieve, Breathe, Receive by Steve Carter.
What do you do when your world seems to be falling down all around you? When loss is too much to bear? When disappointment becomes your new reality? Pastor Steve Carter is certain you’ll find hope and life through these three simple yet profound steps: Grieve. Breathe. Receive.
Grieve, Breathe, Receive
In 2018, in light of further misconduct allegations against Willow Creek Community Church founder and senior pastor Bill Hybels, Steve Carter announced publicly that he was resigning from his dream job as a lead pastor at that church. After posting his resignation online, he turned off all of his devices and began to weep on his wife’s shoulder.
The next morning as he was taking a walk to process all the thoughts and feelings tumbling around in his mind, he cried out to Jesus in desperation, begging for an answer. “What am I supposed to do now?”
He expected nothing but the silence that had overwhelmed him since hitting send on his message to the world, but before he could take two steps, a gentle whisper impressed three words upon his heart: grieve, breathe, receive.
In this book, Steve is more personal and vulnerable than he’s ever been, and by doing so he encourages all of us to:
- Allow ourselves the necessary time and space to properly GRIEVE what is, what you thought it was going to be and how key people let you down rather than fill our days with activities and commitments that distract us.
- Slow down to BREATHE in God’s grace, His peace, and His love . . . and to learn how to exhale all the negativity, pain, resentment, and bitterness we carry within us.
- Be open to RECEIVE all the lessons, surprises, and healing God knows we need for every part of us to be made whole.
This process of grieving, breathing, and receiving was a life-restoring gift from God for Steve and his family, and he is certain that it will bless anyone who prayerfully follows it.
Grieve, Breathe, Receive is published by HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc., the parent company of Bible Gateway.
Steve Carter is a pastor, speaker, author, podcast host, and the former lead teaching pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago. He hosts the Craft & Character podcast, where he helps people get better at the art and craft of communication while ensuring their character always leads the way. An avid sports fan, Steve has co-hosted with ESPN sports anchor Samantha Ponder, NFL player Sam Acho, and Trey Burton The Home Team Podcast, which unpacks the intersection between faith, culture, sports, and family. With a degree in Biblical Studies from Hope International University, Steve has a heart for the local church. He is currently a teaching pastor at Forest City Church in Elgin, IL, and often speaks for churches, conferences, events, camps, and retreats all over the country. Steve lives in Chicagoland with his wife, Sarah, and their two kids.
