Sharing HOPE in Texas

There is power in a shared message. When the President speaks, we are all heightened to the state of our great Nation. When America crowns its newest “idol,” millions tune in to watch the victor sing through tears of joy. This summer, we will all rally as the Olympians pursue Gold in London. Shared experiences and messages bring us together in such a unique way to celebrate, to encourage and bring hope to one another.
You may not entirely realize it but if you use 252 Basics, your lessons echo throughout every state in some of the most unique ways imaginable. Not only are the children of your ministry learning phenomenal truths, so are other children, parents and volunteers from all over the world. They all are impacted by the very same lessons each and every week.
Thousands of parents then take those messages and talk about them with their kids over lunch, with their neighbors who don’t attend church or share a video with a child on a smartphone app. The collective impact of those small teachable moments and conversations reverberate through our communities as kids and adults dialogue together. At the end of the day, the message spreads far beyond the walls where it was initially spoken.
As a 252 Basics Specialist, I have the privilege of hearing the impact of a shared message through churches and communities all over world.
A few weeks ago, several tornadoes rolled across the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area. In their wake of destruction were leveled homes, crushed cars, and thousands of unnerved Texans. Many of those shaken from the events . . . were children.
As stories of hope began to make headlines with our local news stations, one local volunteer sent us this NBC news story out of Forney, Texas, highlighting the first day back at a public elementary school after the tornado devastated their community. The principal greeted the students with a simple lesson of hope. He told the students, “Hope is the belief that something good can come out of something bad.”
Sound familiar? It should! We taught HOPE during the month of April.
We struggle and wrestle with every word we write because we know that the message is just too important not to. We want to craft timeless truths in a way that they will impact the world around each and every one of us to think differently. The message has to stick so that it will move beyond the walls and into the streets.
Our definitions are designed to be easy ways to invite others to the conversation and point them toward God’s bigger story of restoration and redemption. You see, I know that if the principal was able to integrate a little conversation about hope, chances are that many kids were able to share what they learned about the great hope we have in Jesus.
And THAT is something to celebrate!