They say that one in four South Africans has AIDS.
And I know it’s true. I see it all around me: In the funeral tents that dot the horizon, in the sunken cheeks of a woman my age, in the lifelessness of the eighteen-month-old boy in my lap…
He says that there is hope.
And I know it’s true. I see it all around me: In the faces that light up when they hear—for the first time—that there’s a God who loves them, in the signed commitments to save sex for marriage, in the smile that spreads across the face of the lifeless toddler in my lap…
Sometimes it’s easier to see the reality of what they say. But if I look closely, I can’t miss the reality of what He says.
Lord, give me eyes to see…
I was just sharing some of these numbers today.
I praise God for the wisdom and plan God has given you and Niel to lead Thrive, which is in turn, leading a nation to hope.
I love you.
By: danielle on December 4, 2008
at 7:25 am
Hope is all we have? a faith that what we hope for will come to pass.
By: tam on December 4, 2008
at 7:36 am
while i wrote this from the perspective of the AIDS crisis, it goes for pretty much everything. i need eyes to see what HE thinks, says, sees because otherwise i get stuck in the black hole of my circumstances.
know what i mean?
By: alece on December 4, 2008
at 8:58 am
Once you choose hope, anything’s possible. ~Christopher Reeve
Just as I was posting this, you were posting above. Christopher Reeve wrote this quote in his circumstance after his accident. If you read his bio’s it says some of his best days of his life were in the darkest days of his paraylsis.
Makes me wonder
By: Heidi on December 4, 2008
at 9:04 am
AMEN!
By: annie on December 4, 2008
at 9:18 am
wow, heidi… that’s incredible.
By: alece on December 4, 2008
at 9:43 am
Choosing to hear and see hope is not for the faint of heart; it is truly a gift of God. wow.
By: @ngie on December 4, 2008
at 12:43 pm
Tears.
Thank You for writing this.
It totally speaks to me.
By: Amy Joy on December 4, 2008
at 5:01 pm
Love this thought for the day… actually I think I will hang onto to this one… thanks
By: Michael on December 4, 2008
at 6:31 pm
Well said, Alece.
By: Joy Renée on December 4, 2008
at 6:53 pm
powerful. wow.
By: Amy on December 4, 2008
at 7:03 pm
mmmm…
By: alece on December 4, 2008
at 7:08 pm
Your ability to beg to differ with darkness and step in with light is amazing and is making a world of difference.
Thanks for taking the straight path to the freedom from AIDS. It seems like most try to think in the way of treatment but not the prevention of AIDS.
I am very glad when a Father spoke, two children were there to listen.
Thank you for listening to what He says!
By: Cameron on December 4, 2008
at 7:40 pm
wow. thank you…
By: alece on December 4, 2008
at 7:40 pm
Alece that was beautiful! so true and beautiful at the same time. I love that picture too.
By: faithstart on December 5, 2008
at 12:20 am
amen.
By: ric booth on December 5, 2008
at 10:23 am
The most important message of Thrive Africa is hope.
Today the crisis is AIDS, tomorrow it will be something else. Giving the Basotho hope, as you and Neil have done, will give them the strength to face whatever challenges life brings.
Whatever crisis any of us encounter we all need hope that the future can be better.
Hope fuels our motivation to face the challenges that are a part of everyones life.
By: edfromct on December 5, 2008
at 6:10 pm
Oh, Alece… I really loved this post. And I really needed this post for myself as well. You’re such a treasure.
By: gitz on December 6, 2008
at 6:14 am