Hope in the Wilderness – Christine Valters Paintner

“In the Hebrew Scriptures the promise of God’s abundance is often conceived of as blossoming in the desert. In that harsh landscape, a flower bursting forth from the dry land is a symbol of divine generosity, fruitfulness, and hope. Hope is a stance of radical openness to the God of newness and possibility. When we hope, we acknowledge that God has an imagination far more expansive than ours.”

— Christine Valters Paintner, PhD Sacred Seasons: A Yearlong Journey through the Celtic Wheel of the Year – A Self-Study Online Retreat

In what way is hope as “radical openness to God” worlds apart from anticipatory hope? How can living from a stance of acknowledging God’s infinite imagination free us from the shackles of our own limited projections into the future?