Everyone Needs Hope – No Matter Who You Are

Hope can be lost with news reports of missing children, a newborn in a dumpster, injustices committed, bombs being launched, natural disasters shredding communities and taking lives, or disagreeable decisions made among politicians. It tries to steal hope, and that doesn’t include parents with infertility issues, fighting bankruptcy or filing fordivorce, sexual crimes, or being diagnosed with an often deadly disease like cancer.

In ministry, we encounter many of these situations. Even issues like marshal law or the drug cartel affect us since some of our friends are missionaries. Most of the time, though, we encounter groups living without hope that don’t make the news. It’s those living in poverty, whether due to uncontrollable circumstances or self-induced ones. The source isn’t relevant when hope is involved. Pain is the same for them as it is for us. It’s easy to forget a divorce is a divorce and a death of a parent is a great loss. Age and ability don’t prevent hopelessness. Everyone needs hope, no matter who you are.

Poverty often includes abuse and lack of education, creating an array of problems, many leading to drug, alcohol, and sex addictions, along with gambling. Needless to say, their lives often end up in a tangled web. All lack coping skills, have troubles handling money, have poor home management skills, and rarely see physicians. Those living in poverty are often homeless, taken advantage of, lack understanding and social skills, as well as poor nutrition. They have no hope of crawling out of this dark hole. No friends, no money, and no trust.

I believe it’s important to remember poverty also includes the elderly, disabled, those on SSI (supplemental security income) due to graduating from special classes, anxiety issues, or other psychological problems. Each group struggles with the loss of hope.

A Christian should give hope to a hopeless world. Our job is to show them unconditional love while helping meet their basic survival needs. We can educate, but they won’t listen until they see we care. We do our best to hold their hand through their pain and grief, advising when possible.

Recently, this didn’t seem possible. Two couples came to us hopeless. They did their best, but it wasn’t good enough. My heart cried out as they had children previously taken out of the home for valid reasons, met the criteria required, yet had to start over without understanding why. We had walked part of the journey with them. Both couples eat regularly at our free nightly dinners provided by Word in Action Ministries. They even attend our church and help volunteer.

Obviously, we don’t know all of the details, but we had built a relationship and I felt hopeless myself. How could I encourage these who didn’t even have a dirty UA (urinalysis) and met criteria, who went back to using after being forced to wait even longer for their child’s return? Returning to ground zero, the love for their children was real. Their pain was real. The situation was out of our control. I thought of how cancer patients face hopelessness many times. Their lives are at the mercy of others also and can wind up being out of control.

Thinking back to what we did with my dad on his cancer journey. I must not show my anger and frustration, but rather focus on not letting them lose the fight. I will share their battles with them, provide love, encouragement, a listening ear, and physical help when possible. They will not be alone.

What ways can you give hope to someone you know?

© 2022, Jena Fellers. All rights reserved.