Between Grief and Hope
Almost 40 years ago, I spent three weeks visiting United Methodist Church-sponsored mission projects in Central American countries. This trip, along with a whole lot of background reading, was done to prepare to teach in the United Methodist Women’s School of Christian Mission. (The UMW SCM has changed its name to the United Women in Faith’s Mission U.)
While in Nicaragua, in the midst of military conflict and strife, we visited a women’s cooperative which produced well-made clothing and crafts which were sold to provide income for the cooperative members and their families. Most of the women were war widows. As our group of visitors from the U.S. listened to the stories of these Nicaraguan women, one of us asked the leader of the cooperative how these women were able to carry on their work while experiencing such grief and loss. The leader answered: “We live in hope.”
The person who asked the question didn’t quite understand the depth of her answer, so asked a follow-up question: “What is hope?”
I will never forget the leader’s response: “Hope is when, in the midst of little certainty, we keep making the effort.”
Prayer: God, as we experience uncertainties between the extremes, may we keep making the effort. Amen
Ken Ehrman