We just got home from a wonderful camp designed to help children who were coping and healing from the death of a loved one. We had a camp fire, made crafts and wrote in our journals. One of my favorite activities was our hope scavenger hunt. We invited the kids to walk in the woods, in slience, and look for signs of hope. We explained that God always surrounds us with symbols of hope but sometimes we have to look closely for them!
The kids went on a a silent scavenger hunt looking for their symbols of hope amidst their grief. The returned and one by one shared what they had found. Two girls had found a large quartz rock and said it reminded them of the light of God shining in the darkness.
A boy found a very tiny pine cone and explained how it reminded him that small things, like pine cones, grow into a large trees. He said he felt like a tiny pine cone and believed it was a sign of hope that someday he would grow into a tall man--and that his happiness would grow as well! And he wouldn't always be as sad as he is now!
A little girl found a heart shaped leaf. She explained, I found this little heart shaped leaf lying in a pile of dead and rotting leaves. It reminds me that even life seems terrible and dark and really awful, like when my mom died, if you look closely enough, you will find hope and love!
Life is hard! It is dark sometimes. We feel hopeless sometimes. And when we feel like there is no hope, may we, like these children did, seek God's symbols of hope! For even in the mess of life, there is much beauty!! Look closely and you will find it!