What Makes Hope

Hope is that untouchable concept we all need, but few know what it is. A simple definition of hope is something to look forward to. I think it goes far beyond that though. Without hope where does a persons joy and will come from? I remember once when we were in India, We met a group of homeless boys who traveled the trains through India just trying the survive. There was no light in their eyes. The only thing they talked about was finding a safe place to sleep and hiding from those who would harm them. There was no joy, no peace, and no hope in there lives. Then we began to dream with them. It was hard for them to think of the future at first. Then you could see the light come back in their eyes. They began to dream of families, and jobs, and places of their own. Joy exploded in the lot where we met as their imaginations began to awaken. These boy became totally different boy just in a few days. What changed? Their social place was the same. Their economic situation was the same. The only thing that changed was hope. Some of these boys even went on to change their whole situation because they now had a dream. This is the intangible quality of hope that makes it so unique. Hope changes things for the better.

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