Poetry Friday: With Hope

I don't know if any of you read this AP story or not, but this week Steven Curtis Chapman's family suffered a great tragedy. Their youngest daughter, Maria, was accidentally killed by an SUV one of her older brothers was driving. It's a heartbreaking story that just hits you right where it hurts. It's been on my heart and mind since I heard the news. It really brought to mind this Steven Curtis Chapman song, "With Hope," which appeared on his SPEECHLESS album quite a few years ago. (The story behind the song was that it was written in honor of the victims of the Heath High School shooting. The school where the shooting occurred in Paducah, Kentucky was Chapman's alma mater.)

With Hope by Steven Curtis Chapman

This is not at all how
We thought it was supposed to be
We had so many plans for you
We had so many dreams
And now you've gone away
And left us with the memories of your smile
And nothing we can say
And nothing we can do
Can take away the pain
The pain of losing you, but ...

We can cry with hope
We can say goodbye with hope
'Cause we know our goodbye is not the end, oh no
And we can grieve with hope
'Cause we believe with hope
(There's a place by God's grace)
There's a place where we'll see your face again
We'll see your face again

And never have I known
Anything so hard to understand
And never have I questioned more
The wisdom of God's plan
But through the cloud of tears
I see the Father's smile and say well done
And I imagine you
Where you wanted most to be
Seeing all your dreams come true
'Cause now you're home
And now you're free, and ...

We have this hope as an anchor
'Cause we believe that everything
God promised us is true, so ...

We wait with hope
And we ache with hope
We hold on with hope
We let go with hope