‘Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.’

“Even in the darkest soul, there’s always hope. People want to believe in something greater. And it may be easier to hate, but it’s stronger to love.”

The aforementioned quote is from Clark Kent during the latter seasons of Smallville. As you will no doubt have guessed, I’m a huge geek. So when I find something that connects The Shawshank Redemption, Superman and Jesus, I’m over the moon. As Andy Dufresne so eloquently puts it, “Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.” I find it to be a marvellous quote, one that continues to remind me how important it is to carry on hoping.

This week, I’ve had the privilege of helping at a local church here in Tewkesbury with an “Experience Easter” week and I was set up to talk to young people about the death of Jesus and what the cross represents to us. So often, we see the cross and it reminds us of what Jesus went through to save us. The pain, the despair, the heartbreak, the death. And yet, for many people, it’s a symbol of hope. For those who are struggling, the hurting, the lost, the homeless, the broken-hearted.

Christians believe that the Easter story tells us of Jesus death on a cross, only for him to rise again three days later in order to save us from the sin we dirtied ourselves with. When I think about it, Jesus literally went through hell and back just to save me and the entire human race. And I believe He came back. That fills me with hope. That when I’m feeling rubbish, or pathetic, I can know that He came back for me and that I can be the laughing, happy man that I was created to be.

Now as a geek, I happen to also know that, according to Zack Snyder’s ‘Man of Steel film, the S on Supermans chest stands for hope on his home world of Krypton. Superman is just a man, trying to find his place on a world that is not his own and doing good deeds for people along the way. He gives hope to the people and he doesn’t expect anything in return. He just gets on and helps people.

So, I’d like to think hope has become important to me. Andy Dufresne crawled through 5 American football fields of mud and still had the hope to get free of Shawshank. Superman fights daily to bring hope to thousands of people without seeking thanks, and still hopes for a better world. Jesus died on a cross for you and me so that we might be free from sin to live a free and hopeful life.

So I guess what I’m trying to get across to you this time around is that it’s good to hope. And “no good thing ever dies”. So I’ll be hoping you, dear reader, find some comfort in the hoping for good things. Find something that fills you with hope. Whether it’s a friendship you hope can be renewed, or perhaps an ambition you’ve held since a child…I would encourage you to whole-heartedly pursue it with everything you’ve got. I’ll finish with one more quote and bid you all adieu until next time.

Michael

“You got a dream…you gotta protect it. People can’t do something themselves, they wanna tell you you can’t do it. If you want something, go get it. Period.” – Will Smith, The Pursuit of Happyness