Last Saturday Norwich City lost again. There’s been a succession of poor performances and poor results. Loyal fans that love the club were angry, demanding action. Soon after the match Liam Manning, the head coach, was sacked.
It’s been a tough week. Past failures have been analysed. There’s been speculation regarding the new head coach. Preferences have been expressed and rumours have circulated. There’s uncertainty and anxiety, but there’s hope… that the right appointment will be made, and that City’s fortunes will change.
Last night’s ‘Children in Need’, the annual night of fundraising for young people across the UK, included 17-year-old Eloise singing with the cast of ‘Starlight Express’ – the Andrew Lloyd Webber story of Rusty, a young but obsolete steam engine..
They sung a song of optimism and hope with the refrain:
There’s a light at the end of the tunnel…
The inside might be as black as the night
But at the end of the tunnel there’s a light.
The show also included McFly’s Tom Fletcher singing ‘Thread of Hope’ with his son Buzz: ‘When you’ve got so many questions on your mind, The moment that you leave them all behind, you’ll find, by a thread of hope we are connected…’
He’s written a book ‘Pudsey and the Thread of Hope’. Jai, a young boy navigating grief has a magical journey, meeting other children facing adversity. They’re connected by a golden thread of kindness and hope. The song will accompany an animated film of the story.
Reflecting on the repeated themes of compassion and hope from last night’s Children in Need… this morning I read Paul’s words: ‘Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.’
Elsewhere he says, ‘…we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit…’
Still Musing… love and hope through tough times…
malcolmsmusings.org 
I love your positivity with regards to suffering Malcolm. But, I have to say that it sounds like a rather sanguine answer to “why did God allow suffering?”.
Ironic that the word “sanguine” comes from the Latin word for blood.
Take care
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Always good to hear your perspective, Alan. I think the ‘why does God allow suffering?’ question is more complex than I could cover in 300 words. I certainly wouldn’t want to give a trite or simplistic answer. What I would say is that my reflection from watching ‘Children in Need’ last night is that suffering, love and hope can come together in quite a remarkable way. The answer to ‘Where is God in this?’ is interesting, but not straightforward either.
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I treasure the thought that people can be connected by a golden thread of kindness and hope. Like a rope younger children hang on to, staying in line, people can link together to survive difficult times. I will look for a copy of the book; we need it in our school library. Thank you, Malcolm. God Bless.
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Thanks, David. A number of the charities highlighted last night were ones that bring together children going through difficult times. Being able to share with children who understand – the thread that links them together – is invaluable in supporting, encouraging and enabling them to cope.
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There is truly always love and hope.
What young people need is inspiration, something to aspire for without these two things Scripture would not be given and much of the the loveliness we can see in todays world would simply note exist.
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Thank you. I don’t think it’s just young people! I’ve been challenged by the way that love and hope come together in life and in faith.
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Love and hope through tough times — beautiful, Malcolm!
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Reflecting on it Wynn… some folks imply that you have one or the other. It seems to me that love and hope – both carried by ourselves and by those around us – has the potential to support us through tough times.
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