The Power of Hope, by Tim Archer

There's a story that tells of a woman who volunteered with the school
district in a large city. Specifically, she was helping tutor children
who were forced to miss school due to illness. One day she was given a
name and a hospital room number, with this written instruction from the
teacher: “We’re studying nouns and adverbs in his class now, and I’d be
grateful if you could help him understand them so he doesn’t fall too
far behind.”

When the woman arrived at the hospital room, she found a young boy who
had been badly burned that was lying in great pain in the bed.
Overwhelmed by the sight of this boy, all she could do was blurt out,
“I’ve been sent by your school to help you with nouns and adverbs.”
After working with the child for a time, she left feeling foolish. What
good were grammar lessons to a boy in his condition?

However, her visit had a tremendous impact on the boy. Before seeing
the tutor, the boy had been slowly deteriorating. After her visit, he
seemed to find his will to live, working with therapists, eating meals,
responding to treatments. Later the boy explained, "I had just about
given up, assuming I was going to die. But when this teacher came, I
realized that I was going to be all right. They wouldn't send someone
to work on nouns and adverbs with a dying boy, would they?" What this
woman shared about grammar was of relative benefit to the boy. But the
hope that she brought to his life made all the difference. It saved his
life.

The power of hope is real

Is the story true? I don't know. Is the lesson true? Without a doubt.
Hope is a powerful thing, giving us strength at times when nothing else
can. They say that as the famous atheist Jean-Paul Sartre drew close to
his death, he fought against despair, insisting that he would die in
hope. But he also acknowledged, "Hope needs a foundation."

God provides hope. He is the perfect foundation for our hope, the one
that will never fail. Hope built on God and His promises need never
fail. I am convinced that this hope, more than any other, can change
lives and provide a sense of meaning in this world. The prophet Isaiah
wrote: “Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will
soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will
walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:31). Almost three thousand years
later, it's still true.