A Spark of Hope

All it takes is a moment, a flicker of hope to disperse the clouds that hang around me. I recently heard a priest say, "When one spark enters a black hole, it [the black hole] ceases to exist." Despair is a seemingly infinite abcess, but the same theory holds true.
"Hope does not disappoint."
Tonight in adoration, I came across this line. (I love Romans, it is by far my favorite book of the Bible.) It was perfect. God chose that moment to speak to me through the words of St. Paul. He let me know that I shouldn't give up. Hope might be all I have some days, but it is enough. And when I start to lose hope, there is always something that He uses to inspire me again.
My thoughts drifted to one of my current odd jobs. I am teaching a beautiful girl, Maricruz to read. Her mother tried to abort her before she was born. As a result, this 21 year old is in a wheelchair, legally blind, and diagnosed autistic. Today it took her an hour to struggle through a short story about Frog and Toad. When I'm working with her though, all I see is the joy. She is thrilled to have me there, to be learning, no matter how hard it is. In adoration it came to me, if Maricruz can learn to read, despite all her handicaps, surely I can survive what life has thrown at me.
And so I continue on, with a spark of hope to light the way.