Finding Hope
Stories
John sighed and looked out the classroom window. He had no idea what he was going to do.
“Hello, John.” Mrs. Landry placed her briefcase on the desk. “You’re early for music practice.”
“Yeah, I had a spare period and thought I would wait here for band to start.” John got up from his seat. “I don’t mean to be a bother if you have things to do. I can come back later.”
“No, you’re welcome to wait here.” Mrs. Landry waved at him to sit down. “You’re looking a bit thoughtful. Is everything okay?”
John sat back down at the desk. “My mom was diagnosed with cancer yesterday.”
“Oh, John. I am so sorry to hear that.”
“Thanks.” He wiped at his eyes. “I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
She sat down next to him. “Unfortunately there are no easy answers to that.”
“I know.” He looked her in the face. “I want to help Mom but I don’t know what I can do.”
“Listen to her. Help her as you can. Sometimes just being there is enough.”
John nodded. “When my grandfather got sick two years ago I saw my mom care for him. It took so much out of her.”
Mrs. Landry considered his words for a moment. “So why did she do it if it was so hard for her?”
“I asked her and she said we do that for the people we love.” John stopped. “I love Mom but I just don’t know if I can be strong for her.”
Mrs. Landry pointed to the cross around John’s neck. “If you have faith I know you can.”
“I wish I knew for sure.” John touched the cross. “All I can think of right now is how hard its going to be and how much it hurts to know she’s sick.”
“I’m sure it does.” Mrs. Landry narrowed her eyes. “Do you remember when you started playing the trumpet?”
“Sure.”
“What was it like?”
“It was near impossible. It took me almost a month just to get the thing to make a sound.” He grimaced. “It wasn’t a very good sound either.”
“So why did you keep trying?”
“I knew that if I kept going I would learn the notes,” John said. “I did but, my, it was slow.”
“Yet now you’re a good player.”
“Well, I’m still learning but yeah I can do the basics.” John tilted his head to one side. “What does this have to do with Mom’s illness?”
“In one of the letters of Paul, the one to the Church at Rome, he speaks about how when we suffer and look at it as a way to learn how to endure and then how to persevere, then we have hope because we let God into our hearts.” Mrs. Landry took a deep breath. “When you were learning to play the trumpet it was hard but you only figured out how to do it because you kept going.”
John rubbed his chin. “So you mean if I help Mom and am there for her even though its difficult and scary then I will get through it?”
“When we do things that are difficult we learn how to persevere. God helps us through the suffering and we find the strength to keep going even more.” She smiled. “We end up hoping, not just in what we can do but in God’s goodness and grace.”
“That sounds like what my mom did for Grandfather,” John said.
“Your mom is a woman of great faith.”
“She said that walking with Grandfather during his illness taught her a lot about trusting in God.” John paused. “You know what else she said? She told me once she didn’t regret any of the time she spent with him or the things she did for him.”
“I know that right now everything seems scary and uncertain but if you are there for your mom and help her then you’ll find the way to get through this time.”
“That’s the hope part, isn’t it?” John said. “We trust and have faith and just keep going even when we don’t know what will happen.”
“That is certainly what I believe.” Mrs. Landry nodded. “And you know John that everyone at the church will be praying for you and your mom and anything we can do, like rides or meals, you just ask.”
“Thanks.” John smiled. “Can I ask you something else?”
“Anything.”
“Mom should be home now.” John looked at his watch. “Do you think I could miss band practice to go and be with her?”
Mrs. Landry nodded and as she watched the young man heading out of the room she offered a prayer for him and for his mother that they might find the strength and hope they needed during this difficult time.
*****************************************
StoryShare, March 15, 2020, issue.
Copyright 2020 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
“Hello, John.” Mrs. Landry placed her briefcase on the desk. “You’re early for music practice.”
“Yeah, I had a spare period and thought I would wait here for band to start.” John got up from his seat. “I don’t mean to be a bother if you have things to do. I can come back later.”
“No, you’re welcome to wait here.” Mrs. Landry waved at him to sit down. “You’re looking a bit thoughtful. Is everything okay?”
John sat back down at the desk. “My mom was diagnosed with cancer yesterday.”
“Oh, John. I am so sorry to hear that.”
“Thanks.” He wiped at his eyes. “I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
She sat down next to him. “Unfortunately there are no easy answers to that.”
“I know.” He looked her in the face. “I want to help Mom but I don’t know what I can do.”
“Listen to her. Help her as you can. Sometimes just being there is enough.”
John nodded. “When my grandfather got sick two years ago I saw my mom care for him. It took so much out of her.”
Mrs. Landry considered his words for a moment. “So why did she do it if it was so hard for her?”
“I asked her and she said we do that for the people we love.” John stopped. “I love Mom but I just don’t know if I can be strong for her.”
Mrs. Landry pointed to the cross around John’s neck. “If you have faith I know you can.”
“I wish I knew for sure.” John touched the cross. “All I can think of right now is how hard its going to be and how much it hurts to know she’s sick.”
“I’m sure it does.” Mrs. Landry narrowed her eyes. “Do you remember when you started playing the trumpet?”
“Sure.”
“What was it like?”
“It was near impossible. It took me almost a month just to get the thing to make a sound.” He grimaced. “It wasn’t a very good sound either.”
“So why did you keep trying?”
“I knew that if I kept going I would learn the notes,” John said. “I did but, my, it was slow.”
“Yet now you’re a good player.”
“Well, I’m still learning but yeah I can do the basics.” John tilted his head to one side. “What does this have to do with Mom’s illness?”
“In one of the letters of Paul, the one to the Church at Rome, he speaks about how when we suffer and look at it as a way to learn how to endure and then how to persevere, then we have hope because we let God into our hearts.” Mrs. Landry took a deep breath. “When you were learning to play the trumpet it was hard but you only figured out how to do it because you kept going.”
John rubbed his chin. “So you mean if I help Mom and am there for her even though its difficult and scary then I will get through it?”
“When we do things that are difficult we learn how to persevere. God helps us through the suffering and we find the strength to keep going even more.” She smiled. “We end up hoping, not just in what we can do but in God’s goodness and grace.”
“That sounds like what my mom did for Grandfather,” John said.
“Your mom is a woman of great faith.”
“She said that walking with Grandfather during his illness taught her a lot about trusting in God.” John paused. “You know what else she said? She told me once she didn’t regret any of the time she spent with him or the things she did for him.”
“I know that right now everything seems scary and uncertain but if you are there for your mom and help her then you’ll find the way to get through this time.”
“That’s the hope part, isn’t it?” John said. “We trust and have faith and just keep going even when we don’t know what will happen.”
“That is certainly what I believe.” Mrs. Landry nodded. “And you know John that everyone at the church will be praying for you and your mom and anything we can do, like rides or meals, you just ask.”
“Thanks.” John smiled. “Can I ask you something else?”
“Anything.”
“Mom should be home now.” John looked at his watch. “Do you think I could miss band practice to go and be with her?”
Mrs. Landry nodded and as she watched the young man heading out of the room she offered a prayer for him and for his mother that they might find the strength and hope they needed during this difficult time.
*****************************************
StoryShare, March 15, 2020, issue.
Copyright 2020 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
