Always Hope

How often do we want to give up on someone or something?

Here’s another excellent story I read about a young man whom everybody thought would turn out a complete failure:

At 14 years of age, the "bad boy" of a little Massachusetts town, was so powerful in his influence for evil that no one was found able to teach the district school which he attended; it seemed "pretty poor soil." Everyone said the student in question was "bad clear through," "hopeless," and "bound to go to ruin."

One day a new teacher came who said he was not afraid to try. The school friends were quick to tell him all the stories of "the Marcy boy." All advised that he be forbidden to enter the school. However, he was allowed to enter. The teacher analyzed the "hopeless soil," and began at once to enrich it with kindness, justice, goodwill and confidence, and at the right time, dropped in seeds of ambition, hope and self-respect. The seed took root, developed, grew and began to bear fruit.

The promising young student dropped his bad habits, studied day and night, went to college, and graduated with honors. He studied law, answered the call for men in 1812, became associate justice of the Supreme Court, United States senator, governor of New York, and finally Secretary of State. His name was William L. Marcy. He served faithfully in every situation. All of this happened because a good teacher saw in a child the image of God!

How many of us have struggled and still struggle with low self esteem, a bad self image, just because someone gave up on us. The teacher that called you “stupid’, the parent that told you that you will never amount to anything. And because of those labels that stuck, we started to believe it, convinced we are dumb and good for nothing.

I sometimes sit in amazement, as I listen to life stories like this. Young people who turned to drugs and alcohol, because of this. I have such empathy for these people. I know because I used to be one.

Until one day, someone got hold of me, a teacher by the name of Mr Tommy Marais. In my last school year he started to take an interest and he began to instill different values in my life.

I am so thankful that God brought him across my path. He saw something nobody else did. He saw what Jesus saw:

Jer 29:11 For I know the purposes which I am purposing for you, says Jehovah; purposes of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you shall call on Me, and you shall go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you shall seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 And I will be found by you, says Jehovah; and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places where I have driven you, says Jehovah. And I will bring you again into the place from where I caused you to be exiled.

If there is someone out there today, who feels worthless and without hope, please know this: God has a plan and a purpose for your life.

Yes we make mistakes and yes we do the wrong thing and yes the situation may seem hopeless, but my friend, today I want to tell you, all is not lost.

There is a Jesus Christ who stands waiting with open arms saying “come, I will take care, I will comfort and give you rest”

Turn to God and not away from God.

I often would say “Jesus is the answer, what’s your question?”