Turning the Hopeless to Hopeful

Our friend Ann and her son Daniel were on local BBC news last night…

Daniel, who’s 17, is profoundly deaf; he’s always used British Sign Language (BSL) to communicate. Since he was 12 he’s been campaigning for BSL to become a GCSE subject; it’s unfair that he can’t take a formal qualification in his own language.

Ann said: ‘BBC East picked up the story about the public consultation on the BSL GCSE this week… Always feel very nervous about doing voiceover for Daniel as I would hate not to do him justice, even worse when it’s live. He was a star as always.’

He certainly was. Over 5 years we’ve followed Daniel’s campaigning… meeting government ministers… making speeches to Parliament… growing in confidence… becoming increasingly hopeful.

I had a weird dream last night. I was back in school teaching music. I had two classes to teach at the same time in different locations – one class was high school students, the other small primary children… Desperately trying to reach the classrooms, I couldn’t find either… Eventually I arrived… A stranger was teaching both classes together, doing a good job… No-one knew who I was.

I woke up feeling confused, disappointed, anxious, sad… I wanted to be a good teacher – but I was a failure. The situation was hopeless; I could do nothing about it.

I read Habakkuk this morning. Like Daniel, Habakkuk’s thinking about what should be, compared to what actually is. He concludes:

‘Though the fig-tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the sheepfold and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Saviour.’

Sometimes I feel positive and upbeat – like Daniel presented last night; sometimes my reality is my dream’s hopelessness. Habakkuk says that even in the worst situations his faith turns the hopeless into hopeful.