“According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…” (1 Peter 1:3)
When it comes to our faith, it can be very helpful think deliberately about what we mean by certain words or ideas. If we don’t think proactively about what they mean, we can make them mean whatever we want them to mean.
Over the years, I have found it a challenge to define “hope.” Recently, however, I’ve been thinking of hope like this: Hope is living like it’s Sunday on Friday. Let me explain.
When you ask most people what comes to mind when they think about Sunday, they would probably say something about sleeping in or relaxing. When it comes to Friday, I’m guessing that most people would probably refer to the last day of the workweek or school. It makes them think of happy things like time off or hanging out with friends.
But that’s not what I’m referring to here.
Think about Easter, the ground-zero of our faith. Friday was the day of Jesus’ torture and crucifixion. It was a day of abandonment, darkness and pain. In contrast, Sunday was a day of victory, vindication and glory!
So when I say that hope is living like it’s Sunday on Friday, my meaning is this: Hope is trusting that in the days of darkness and despair, and despite all evidence to the contrary, you are actually a child of the resurrection, and that good things are coming.
Does this understanding of hope help you?
Are there times when it feels like the darkness of a Friday, when everyone seems to have abandoned you, or when the pain feels like it’s more than you can bear, or when every road feels like a dead end? If so, hope is trusting—despite all evidence to the contrary—that you are actually a child of the resurrection.
Hope is living like it’s Sunday on Friday.
Notes:
-“Lord of all, not Lord of some—a prayer.” Click here, or tune in to The Pulse Podcast with Matthew Ruttan (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc.)
-The Up Devotional is published 5 days a week (Monday-Friday) and returns on June 8, 2026.
-Bible quotes are from the ESV.
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