The Last Word Is Hope

by

One of the most important things I learned over four decades of ministry is that hope saves people’s lives. Hope saves them spiritually, emotionally, relationally, and sometimes even physically.

People hope for many things. They hope for forgiveness, reconciliation, and healing. They hope faith will return, finances will recover, or grief will finally end. They hope their addiction can be overcome or their marriage can be saved. They hope for life beyond divorce or courage to face “the valley of the shadow of death.”

When people can keep hope alive, they somehow find the strength to take another step in spite of the darkness and pain of the present moment. Hope is a powerful force. Hope can save a person’s life in every way a life can be saved.

My all-time favorite movie is The Shawshank Redemption staring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. The Shawshank Redemption tells the story of a young bank executive named Andy Dufresne. Andy, falsely convicted of murdering his wife and her lover, was sentenced to two life terms in a notoriously brutal state penitentiary called Shawshank Prison. While there he met a black man named Red, and the two struck up a unique friendship. It’s a long and complex story, but ultimately it’s a story about affirming hope in a place where little hope existed.

In spite of being an innocent man in a tough prison, Andy held on to hope—hope of escape, and hope of life beyond prison walls. And that hope is what kept him going. Andy’s dream was to go to a little Mexican town on the Pacific Ocean called Zihuatanejo. His plans included buying and running a hotel, including fixing up an old boat to take his guests deep-sea fishing. He once asked Red to be his assistant, but Red said he didn’t think he could make it in the outside world. A few minutes later Red chastised Andy for holding on to such a fairly-tale pipedream.

In one of many powerful scenes in the movie, Andy talked with his friends about the need for hope, especially in prison. Red, angry by Andy’s naïve words of hope, said, “Let me tell you something, Andy Dufresne. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane. It’s got no use on the inside [of prison].” 

But Andy didn’t buy what Red said. Andy continued to hope, even after twenty hard years at Shawshank prison. And Andy didn’t just have hope for himself; he also inspired hope in others. For example, he helped young men get their GED, and he built a first-class library for the inmates. In the end Andy even inspired hope in his dear friend Red, the one who said hope was a dangerous thing. 

After spending twenty years in Shawshank prison for a crime he did not commit, Andy finally escaped. Not long after Andy’s escape, Red found himself paroled. But Red wasn’t adjusting well to life outside prison. In fact, he almost decided to commit a crime so he could return to the security of prison life. However, one thing kept him from implementing that plan. Andy left Red a letter, inviting him to come to Zihuatanejo and be his helper at his hotel.

In the letter Andy said to Red, “Remember, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.” And so, with hope in his heart, Red decided to go to Mexico. As he traveled on the bus, excited as a schoolboy, Red spoke the final words of the movie. He said, “I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope.”

Like the gospel of Jesus Christ, the last word of The Shawshank Redemption is the word hope. In the final scene of the movie, Red and Andy are reunited on the beach at Zihuatanejo. And so it was, that through the power of hope, Red was finally redeemed.

Whatever your current spiritual status may be, my Easter prayer for you is that your life will be filled with hope—today and forever.