The Singing Scoutmaster: Hope

Scouts, have you ever been on a campout where it rained all night? Your tent leaked a little, your sleeping bag was damp, and you lay there thinking, 'This is miserable. It's never going to stop.' But then morning came. The rain stopped. The sun broke through the clouds. Steam rose off the wet ground, and suddenly the whole forest smelled clean and fresh and alive. The night felt endless, but the sunrise came anyway.

That's what hope is. Hope isn't pretending the rain isn't falling. Hope is knowing that even in the middle of the storm, the sunrise is coming. And more than that - hope is getting up and starting to pack up your wet gear because you believe the day ahead is going to be worth it.

Some people think hope is just wishful thinking, like crossing your fingers and wishing for the best. But real hope is much stronger than that. Real hope is courage plus action. It's saying, 'Things are hard right now, but I'm going to keep going because I believe they can get better - and I'm going to do my part to make them better.'

Scouts have always been people of hope. When we see a problem, we don't throw up our hands and say 'That's just how it is.' We say, 'What can we do about it?' When we do a service project, we're acting on hope. When we help a friend, we're acting on hope. Every time we choose to try instead of give up, that's hope in action.

If you're going through a tough time right now - at school, at home, or anywhere else - hold on. The rain doesn't last forever, and the sunrise always comes. And while you're waiting, keep moving forward. That's the bravest kind of hope there is.