Several years ago a teacher assigned to visit children in a large city hospital received a routine call requesting that she visit a particular child.
She took the boy’s name and room number and was told by the boy’s teacher, “We’re studying nouns and adverbs in his class now. I’d be grateful if you could help him with his homework so he doesn’t fall behind the others.”
It wasn’t until the visiting teacher got outside the boy’s room that she realized it was located in the hospital’s burn unit. No one had prepared her to find a young boy horribly burned and in great pain.
She felt that she couldn’t just turn and walk out, so she awkwardly stammered, “I’m the hospital teacher, and your teacher sent me to help you with nouns and adverbs.”
The next morning a nurse on the burn unit asked her, “What did you do to that boy?”
Before she could finish a profusion of apologies, the nurse interrupted her.
“You don’t understand. We’ve been very worried about him, but ever since you were here yesterday, his whole attitude has changed. He’s fighting back, responding to treatment. It’s as though he’s decided to live.”
The boy later explained that he had completely given up hope until he saw that teacher. It all changed when he came to a simple realization.
With joyful tears he said, “They wouldn’t send a teacher to work on nouns and adverbs with a dying boy, would they?”
The need for hope in our lives is very real. Without hope, there is typically no desire to live life. Tomorrow doesn’t seem to hold any promises. There seems to be no reason to get out of bed.
We all have dark moments in our lives from time to time, but we should remember that just because we enter into a dark period, we don’t have to give up hope.
More From the Pulpit: Articles by Rev. Mark Broadhead
Centuries ago, the prophet Isaiah declared to the people of God: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness – on them has light shined.”
There is always reason for hope. Why? Because you are a precious treasure of God, and he would not have sent his Son to this world if there were no hope for you or me, would he? In Jesus Christ, he provides his love and joy.
He is a light that enters into your darkness. God’s light and life are available to all who open themselves to receive it.
The Rev. Mark Broadhead is pastor at Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FROM THE PULPIT: Do not give up hope