by Juliet Walters
My name is Juliet Walters. I’m a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, but more importantly, I am a follower of Jesus Christ.
When people ask me where my hope comes from, my answer is simple: my hope is rooted in my relationship with God.
Over the years, I’ve learned that God pays attention. He doesn’t keep me in the dark or rush me through life’s lessons. Instead, He gives me time, grace, and compassion to grow into the woman He created me to be. My hope rests in knowing that God sees me, knows me, and patiently shapes me.
Recently, He used a painful experience to remind me of this truth. I had an encounter with someone who raised their voice at me. I raised mine right back. I felt justified because this person had taken advantage of my vulnerable brother, and in my anger I met aggression with aggression.
But afterward, God convicted me. He showed me that I had rejected this person, likely adding to the rejection they had carried for years. He reminded me that this individual, despite their behavior, was still His child. I had no right to treat one of God’s children with disrespect. That realization humbled me and brought me to repentance.
God was also preparing me for what was happening in the world around me. Around that same time, our nation was rocked by violence—an assassination, children shot at school, a woman killed on a train, two men hanged in another city. It felt like 2020 all over again, when anger and grief over repeated killings left so many raw.
Back then, I struggled with disappointment when people I knew seemed unmoved. Some dismissed the deaths, saying the victims weren’t righteous. Others didn’t care because they didn’t know the people personally. The lack of empathy broke my heart. Now in 2025, I see the same divided responses: some outraged, some indifferent, some even justifying the loss of life.
And yet, God keeps bringing me back to the same truth: every life matters to Him. Whether I know someone or not, whether I agree with them or not, whether I think they are righteous or not—each person bears His image. Each life carries dignity and worth.
This is where my hope comes from. My hope is not built on people always getting it right or society finally coming together. My hope rests in a God who never abandons us to our faulty thinking or sinful emotions. He compassionately corrects us and teaches us to see others through His eyes.
Scripture says, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3). Nothing escapes His notice. Not one life is lost without His attention. Not one injustice happens without His care.
My faith is anchored in this: God cares for all His children. He calls us to treat every person with respect, dignity, and honor. We are not allowed to reject, dismiss, or grow apathetic toward the suffering of others. When a life is taken, God notices. When someone is disrespected, He sees.
That is why I have hope. Because God is paying attention. He is correcting us with patience and compassion, shaping us into people who value His children the way He does.
“The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.” (Psalm 145:8–9)
That is the God who gives me hope.