Hope

Hope is one of the single greatest, yet delicate and vulnerable things in our world. It can change the heart of a single person or change the views of the entire world. It can influence a childhood friend across a jungle gym or influence another nation across an ocean. It is powerful, life-changing and unquestionable, yet, still, it is fragile, defenseless, and dependent.

Hope lives in the child, unwavering because, as of yet, the child has not the life lessons to teach him that hope can be hard to see at times. The child holds steadfast to hope until the day when the foundation of their hope is shaken, changed. Now, hope has become less definite, less absolute. Now, the child knows hope can be had, but only if the foundation it is based on, the child’s belief, is sturdy. Hope can sometimes be strong, but it is always fragile.

Hope is much like the child, unable to protect itself in his young, early, formidable stages. Like the young child, hope cannot be its own protector at the beginning. It is not until it has grown and matured that it can ward off that which, or those who, endanger it. Once it has grown, many will hesitate to challenge it, but there still remain a few who will. Hope can sometimes be intimidating to those who challenge it, but it is always defenseless.

Hope is the child, unable to survive without the guidance, love and belief of its mother. We are hope’s mother. Hope is dependent on us. Hope cannot survive without us. Hope is a way of thinking, a way of living, a way of believing. Once we stop believing in hope, hope ceases to exist. Additionally, once hope is lost, so is the reason for belief. The hope of a person can influence the hope of another, creating a cycle. Yet, hope can only live as long as the last person who believes in it. Once the last of the believers dies, hope dies. Hope can sometimes be perpetual, but it is always dependent.

So, be always like the child and hold steadfast hope. Hope can be the strongest of things, but only as strong as you, the believer. It is your job to pass hope on to others. It is your job to keep hope alive.