Hope

After enjoying a good run this morning I returned for my cool down. This amounts to 2 laps around the parking lot, walking and letting my heart return to its normal beat.

This morning I noticed a large can of Budweiser on the curb by the walkway to the church, then another which had been tossed by one of the gardens. In front of the one by the curb, where obviously someone sat, was a torn up lotto card. Somewhere between 10pm and 5:30 am there was a person sitting there. I don't know who he was. Perhaps you are reading this now and it was you. I would have liked to talk to him.

The stuff we leave behind speaks of our lives. While not always the case, it is true often those who drink alone have a drinking problem. That is actually one of the signs of a problem drinker. The ripped up lotto card tells a lot. I imagine when this person bought it, they were hoping for a large windfall. Their hope disappeared.

Within the building this person was just within a few feet of is a place where hope is offered regularly. In fact we are beginning a grief group there soon and that is what we will center on: Hope. I would have loved to tell this person about hope.

Lonely souls, heart broken people are everywhere. Bad marriages, a loss of a job, the loss of loved ones, the list goes on. People need hope.

I heard that the American Red Cross years ago told how people who drown do so within 25 feet of safety. If you are in need of hope today, read your Bible. It is full of Hope. If you are sailing through life and all is well, don't overlook the hopeless all around you.

The man who sat alone at the steps of the church last night is on my heart this morning and in my prayers. "God, give him Hope today."