In the second round of the NHL playoffs during a morning press conference on a gameday, Tampa Bay Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper said, "Hope is not a strategy."
And it made me think of the hope that we DO have in every new day, because of our Heavenly Father.
I remember my spiritual director having a conversation with me about people throwing around the expression, "Oh well, I guess it's just part of God's plan," and my spiritual director said, "No. God *is* the plan. That's the plan. Him. *HE* is the plan."
And so while coaches do have to have a game plan and a strategy to execute -- even though as Jon Cooper said, it isn't hope -- we the faithful in God's church on earth CAN count on hope always being there for us. We CAN rely on God to be our hope as we strive for holiness and to join Him in eternity.
Romans chapter 15, verse 13, says, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
Bruce Wawrzyniak is the host and creator of "Catholic Sports Radio," a weekly podcast that helps listeners find the right balance and priority when it comes to their faith life versus their sports life. Interviews are done with guests who are Catholics in sports -- current or former athletes, coaches, referees/umpires, clergy, administrators, and more from the pro, amateur, and scholastic ranks. The show can be heard at www.CatholicSportsRadio.net or via links there for most podcast apps/platforms.