What is Hope for my generation - the young people of America? Everything has been given to us, and yet it's still not enough. Everything is available at our fingertips, and yet we're still looking for more. Our leaders have stretched themselves thin by overextending their arms into other people's lands - without even acknowledging that we have problems here at home. Our systems have been built to encourage young companies to grow and increase their profits, but there is little reward for steady leaders who choose to give back to their communities and families. We are a country of adventurers, of pioneers ... but when we've come back from the highest peaks, the deepest seas, and have experienced it all, what's left to discover? What's left to hope for? We are left dry and despairing, with a world that seems to be falling apart.

The vision of glory that we sought after - that was passed down to us - has faded. We see the cracks starting to crumble in the statues, the pursuits and the systems. They are simply facades. Who can we trust? Who is truly good enough to revere? Their character must be flawless, but is that humanly possible? So many search for the cracks. If they look hard enough, they will find them. But do the cracks diminish the whole? If that's what you're focused on - yes. And then it becomes a sad world because all you see are the cracks, the dirt, the brokenness and you feel completely useless. The Dark seems inevitable.

If you choose to look at the heart though, I think you'll find Hope when you see people giving of themselves so that others might live ... and not the giving out of abundance, but the giving of what is precious, of laying down treasures and dignity to serve others. Is it not the lowly, the aliens who do that for us now - without us even appreciating them? There is real beauty in their gifts - it's choosing to pursue wholeness for another at the expense of our pride. It's learning to honor other people's decisions, sometimes even if you disagree. It's learning wisdom in how to pursue your passion - with patience, humility and compassion. It's learning to appreciate what you've been given - the uniqueness of the people in your life, the serendipity of events that happen throughout the day and the idiosyncrasies which give things their definition and personality. It's learning to enjoy the simple things, the intangible things, the things close to home. Indeed, it's making Home and inviting others into it.

Who are we though? Where is our Home? We are a mix of so many cultures, so many backgrounds, so many nations. What does it mean to be "American?" If you're in America, you are always expected to say where you came from BEFORE ... somewhere in your family's history, they're expecting that a relative came from some other place, some other Home. Some people are able to keep parts of that history with them, and that's what they claim as their Home here ... but it's really more of a home away from Home at that. The USA is one of the few countries where the Name is "to find a name for yourself." People can start over here. They can search for who they want to be. They can sail the high seas looking for the coast of their Hope. Anything is possible. Any Hope is acceptable to strive for. It's even encouraged. There is beauty in the freedom of allowing others to discover their hope - whereas in many places it's dictated to you.

Where is the resting place though? If our Name is "To Find a Name," what then do we have to offer? If the Adventurer has no Home to return to, then he's really more of a Wanderer - lost without a Home. The wilderness can make you strong and resilient, but there's also a place of comfort, enjoyment and family that are so important for Life. What would the "American" family look like? Where is some common ground? The Home of the past is fading. The memory has quieted to a whisper. We're Here now - which is a much different land. We are becoming more like our neighbors - mixing cultures, hats, foods and family names. It's a much different world now then where our parents grew up.

Now the world is limitless. Names are less Names. Heart streams start to flow together - apart from space and time. To someone looking for a Name, the voices are endless and can drown you out. It takes learning how to say "no" and where your boundaries are to find peace within you. It's growing in wisdom - of who you are, of what's realistic for you, of what you desire to do and finding out how to make it possible. There can be personal hope to go after, but Hope must help you get there ... an eye that notices your Name and gives you the opportunity to share it. It takes someone who is willing to wash away your dirt, to patch your cracks - someone who chooses to see you whole and helps you to remember your beauty. They give you your Name - even though you might have faint memories of what it sounds like. It takes someone else to call your Name out and make it be ... and then you start to know it for yourself as you experience the walk of those shoes.

Hope is in finding the one who helps you find your Name - for it is your Home, your resting place - a place of comfort, enjoyment and family. There is always more fullness to the Hope. It always seems to be a journey. But when you find your Home, it changes things. From then on the Adventures you go on become reminders of what makes Home so special.

I hope that America finds it's Hope, it's Name in this generation ... That one could say "I'm an American!" and be filled with Hope, Honor, Delight and Purpose. It's much different than the old Names. But I believe the glory will be more beautiful - once Wisdom is learned and Pride is laid down. Then one can start to see and gently give room for the Name in others to blossom. Then Hope will be shining brightly - even into the past.