chicken soup for the soul The Cost of Hope

[Guest guest]

The Cost of Hope

A woman in financial despair discovers the joy of giving to someone else in

need.

BY: Hamilton

le sat down with a sigh, discouraged and exhausted. The day had proven

frustrating. With only forty dollars left in her wallet, she desperately needed

to find a bank to cash her paycheck. She was living in a new city with no local

bank of her own - and the banks were not eager to help her. For more than two

weeks, she made attempt after attempt - to no avail. With her cash supply

dwindling fast, she had no other resources. How could she continue to support

herself and her two children? She wondered just how much longer she and her

children could get by on the little money they had left.

Taking a break from her struggles, le decided to attend a meeting at the

local women's resource center. The women there had been a strong source of

encouragement since she fled her home in fear for her safety. Her thoughts were

far away as she settled into a chair in the meeting room. In deep despair, she

longed for renewed hope that she could make it as a single mom.

Live life more consciously by reaching out

" Good afternoon, everyone, " a voice said, breaking le's thoughts. It was

the leader of her women's group. " Does anyone want to start? "

Sitting next to le, Amy cleared her throat. " I would, " she said. Amy began

to share the details of her desperate situation. She had run into severe

personal struggles and was just days away from losing her home and her car. Her

phone and electric services were both scheduled for disconnection. Her husband

had gambled away their money. What little she had tried to squirrel away, he had

used to support his drug habit. Their relationship had deteriorated to the point

where she feared for her very safety. The last of the money she managed to tuck

away allowed her to buy food for her children and diapers for her baby. She had

nothing left. Nothing.

As Amy described the extent of the situation, le heard God's soft whisper

in her heart: " After the meeting, give Amy twenty dollars. " le immediately

thought, But I can't. I only have forty dollars. She heard the order again. It

was unmistakably clear. le knew she needed to comply. When the meeting

concluded, she reached into her purse and quietly slipped twenty dollars to Amy.

Knowing le's situation, Amy was reluctant to accept it at first. But as a

crowd of women came to give Amy hugs of support, le told her that God

wanted her to have it. Then le left.

As le unlocked the door to her car, she heard someone call her name. She

turned to find Amy walking toward her. Tears filled Amy's eyes as she began to

speak. " How could you have known? " she asked. A large tear rolled down her cheek

and dropped onto her shoulder as she reached into her purse. She pulled out a

small amber prescription bottle. " I took the last one yesterday. " She pointed to

the bottom of the label. " I'm a medication-dependent diabetic. I need this

medication every day. I had no idea what I was going to do. " Another tear rolled

down her cheek as she pointed to the refill cost printed clearly on the label:

$20.00.

It was at that moment that le was renewed with a sense of hope and peace.

She told Amy that she did not know, but God did. While Amy's situation seemed to

be a mountain before her, God alone could help her navigate every step and meet

every need to move beyond that mountain, one step at a time. The words of hope

that le spoke to Amy that day were the very words of hope she herself

needed.

Now with just twenty dollars left in her wallet, le decided to try cashing

her paycheck at just one more bank before heading home. While she anticipated

the rejection she had received at so many other banks, she was somehow filled

with renewed confidence and optimism. With hope in hand, she walked into the

bank adjacent to the women's center. Moments later, the bank cashed her paycheck

with no questions asked.

Beaming, le returned home. While she knew there would be days ahead that

would certainly hold challenges, her newfound hope inspired her. She never did

see Amy again, but she continues to rest confidently that God is still looking

out for her and is meeting her daily needs, just as he continues to look out for

le and her two children. As for le, it has been three years since

that day. While she realizes true hope has no price tag, she continues to be

thankful for the lifetime supply that she received for the price of just twenty

dollars.