Agents of Hope

Pastor James DeLoach tells a story about an old photo that made an impression on him. It was a picture of a burned-out mountain shack. All that remained was the chimney, the charred debris of what had been that family's sole possession. In the foreground stood an older grandfatherly-looking man dressed only in his underclothes. Next to him was a small boy clutching a pair of patched overalls. It was evident that the child was crying. Beneath the picture were the words the artist felt the old man was speaking to the boy. They were simple words: "Hush child, God ain't dead!"

DeLoach wrote, "That vivid picture of the burned-out mountain shack, the old man, the weeping child, and those words, 'God ain't dead,' keep returning to my mind. Instead of it being a reminder of the despair of life, it has come to be a reminder of hope. I need reminders that there is hope in the world. In the midst of all of life's troubles and failures, I need mental pictures to remind me that all is not lost as long as God is alive."

We live in a time when despair is loud and hope can feel fragile. But hope has always been carried by ordinary people in ordinary moments. I wonder who in your life may need a reminder of hope. It may not take much — a phone call, a note, a meal, a few minutes of your time. Never underestimate what a simple act of love can do in someone's darkness.

Prayer: Yours is the earth and all that is in it — the world and all who live in it. We thank you, gracious God, for the reminders of hope, great and small — for the gift of a smile, the laughter of a child, the touch of a friend at just the right moment. Give us eyes to see who around us needs that reminder today, and the courage to reach out. May our lives be a catalyst of hope in someone's darkness. In Jesus' name. Amen.

‍