How are you doing in your fight for hope? As I walked through the airport yesterday, statistically every fifth man I passed didn't have a job and is probably fighting for hope.

We have to fight for hope and these days the fight has gotten more difficult. The tide of negative events that threaten to swamp our lives seems to keep rising.

You wake up, look at the news and the nation is two days away from bankruptcy. Many homeowners are upside down in their mortgages and know what that feels like on a personal basis.

Families that are already stretched by circumstances look at our leaders and feel that to hope at this point would be truly audacious. "Is it even worth fighting for?" You may be thinking to yourself.

But our faith promises us hope. Jesus brings us hope of the abundant life. We are "aliens and strangers" on this planet, says 1 Peter. "We have this hope as an anchor to our soul," Hebrews says. "These three remain: faith, hope and love," 1 Corinthians says.

Tim Hansel used to say that hope was squeezed between faith and love because "it was what kept them together."

If your hope is being squeezed, it's normal. You have to fight for it. I fight by thanking God for the long list of wonderful things he's given me. I try to keep my thoughts positive. But I have to do that daily.

How's your fight going?