The Hope QuotientSample

Christ’s challenge in Matthew chapter 25 belongs to us all. If your heart beats in sync with the heart of Jesus, then you must see that He calls you and me and every Christian to bring hope to our communities, wherever we are.

A few years ago, a dear friend named Sherwood shook his head and said, “Ray, I don’t think you get that the schools in my part of town are different from the schools in your part of town.”

Those words bothered me so much that I drove around Sacramento for a whole day. I was shocked. Sherwood was right. I had no clue. As I drove past every elementary school I could find, I saw many that were decrepit or unsafe. The more I saw, the angrier I got.

If Christians and others in this community don’t rise up and go after this, I thought, it’s not going to get fixed.

Sherwood came to a meeting and a whole plan unfolded. We went for it. We interviewed all the principals in the area, identified the neediest schools, and raised almost four hundred thousand dollars. With volunteers and more contributions, we have now helped rebuild many Sacramento schools.

Then there are above her the individual kids. Bring on Mary. Mary had no background in teaching and felt completely unqualified, but she got a small amount of training and headed out to tutor a fourth-grader named Betsy. She worked with her twice a week for forty-five minutes. On her drive to Betsy’s school, Mary ordinarily listened to music, but her responsibility felt so weighty, she prayed each day to make a difference. Betsy started fourth grade at two or three grade levels below the state’s benchmarks. By the end of that school year, after just nine months with Mary, she scored aboveher grade level.

“I was blown away,” Mary said. “God used me to help this child. He truly, truly answered my prayer..”

Multiply Mary by hundreds of willing workers, and you hope is unleashed in a community.

Think Up:

Can you be a “Mary” in your community?

What is the greatest need you see around you and how can you fill it? (Read on).