Once upon a time, there was a kind and loving young girl whose name by the end of the story you might be able to guess. She was a very important part of her little village community, and she touched every person’s life. In fact, most of the inhabitants sought her presence in many ways; her essence kept them alive. People seemed to wish for things when she was around. While some liked having her near, most of the village took her for granted. A great number of the inhabitants lacked gratitude, some even stopped inviting her over for dinner and for fun. The young girl thought that if she went away for a while people would learn to appreciate her more. Perhaps, her absence would make people’s hearts grow fonder. She thought, that if she were gone, people will begin to change and truly treasure life.
So she decided to take a break from the little village. And just as she had imagined, with her presence gone, people began to change. But it was not the change that she had anticipated. Things began to look really dismal, gloomy, and dark. Doubt, despair, disbelief, and discouragement began to take over. People no longer aspired to be or to do. People began to give up on the future. They stopped going to school; they felt it was no longer necessary. All working, building, and planning ceased. Nothing seemed to matter anymore. No one wanted to do or invent anything new. If someone attempted something and it did not work, it was never tried again. There was nothing to keep them going. People stopped encouraging and caring for one another. The condition of the world had only grown worse, and there was nothing to indicate that someday things would ever get better.
In due time, the young girl in our story decided to return. She thought she had been gone long enough. When she returned, however, she was surprised to find the village in such a sad state. She felt badly for leaving. She had really missed the people, and she realized that she also needed them as much as they needed her. The inhabitants welcomed her back with open and glad hearts. They began to smile and to laugh again. People began to dream, to live, and to aspire once again. People began to care for one another. They made a vow to treasure her and to never to take her for granted again. The world was such a better place with her presence in it.
Questions
- Can you guess our character’s name? (Yes, her name is Hope.)
- Why do you think that her presence is needed in the world?
- What does it look like when people lose hope?
- Can we do anything for those who lack hope? (Give an example.)
- What are some of the things that we hope for?
Commentary
Hope is a feeling, belief, desire, or an expectation for a certain thing to happen or to come about. Without hope in the world, people do not have much of a reason to live. Without hope, no one looks to the future, and no one dreams. Hope gives us the strength to endure hardships or difficulties. Hope is what encourages us to believe that the things on which we work hard today will result in our having a better tomorrow.
I am a proud, passionate liberal thinker, social-justice advocate, entrepreneur, creative thinker, and songwriter whose mission in life is to try be the change that I hope someday would be in the world. I am also a husband, father and community minister. I hold an undergraduate degree in Organizational Leadership, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree and a Master of Divinity degree. Currently, I am serving as the Managing Director of Clergy 211, an organization of inclusive and progressive clergy that provide non-judgmental rite-of passage ceremonies for all people from all walks of life.
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