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For a few years now, I have worn a ring on my right hand. It’s not always the same ring but it’s always a ring that has words or a symbol on it so that when I look at it, I’m encouraged or reminded of something important. I have made a habit of buying rings like this whenever I see one in a store. Sometimes I give them away as gifts or to someone like Jennie. I first met Jennie in the hospital waiting room and we had talked several times. One night I sat down beside her and asked how her son was doing because I knew that he was in very critical condition. He was on a respirator and still in a coma. She told me that she didn’t know what to do anymore because it seemed none of the news from the doctors was good. They weren’t at all sure her son was going to survive the accident that had hurt him so badly. With tears in her eyes she said, “They’re taking away my hope.” I knew then that it was more than just a coincidence that I was wearing the ring that I had on that day. As she continued to talk, I quietly reached down and slipped the ring off of my finger and placed it in Jennie’s hand. I told her to wear it to remember that God loved her and He would be with her through all of this. When Jennie looked down at the ring, she gasped and then held it tightly, for the word written on the ring was …”HOPE” The last day I was at the hospital,
I saw Jennie in the distance as I got on the elevator. She waved
and held up the hand with the ring on it as she called out to me saying,
By
“…I will put my hope in God,
and once again I will praise Him,
You Still Have Hope
If you can look at the sunset
and smile,
If you can find beauty in the
colors of a small flower,
If you can find pleasure in the
movement of a butterfly,
If the smile of a child can still
warm your heart,
If you can see the good in other
people,
If the rain breaking on a roof
top can still lull you to sleep,
If the sight of a rainbow still
makes you stop and stare in wonder,
If the soft fur of a favored
pet still feels pleasant under your fingertips,
If you meet new people with a
trace of excitement and optimism,
If you give people the benefit
of a doubt,
If you still offer your hand
in friendship to others that have touched your life,
If receiving an unexpected card
or letter still brings a pleasant surprise,
If the suffering of others still
fills you with pain and frustration,
If you refuse to let a friendship
die, or accept that it must end,
If you look forward to a time
or place of quiet and reflection,
If you still buy the ornaments,
put up the Christmas tree or cook the turkey,
If you still watch love stories
or want the endings to be happy,
If you can look to the past and
smile,
If, when faced with the bad,
when told everything is futile, you can still look up
Hope is such a marvelous thing.
It bends, it twists, it sometimes hides,
It sustains us when nothing else
can.
Hope puts a smile on our face when the heart cannot manage. Hope puts our feet on the path when our eyes cannot see it. Hope moves us to act when our souls are confused of the direction. Hope is a wonderful thing, something
to be cherished and nurtured,
NEVER lose hope.
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