the four candles: a story about the power of hope
“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.”
— Desmond Tutu
I came across this simple yet powerful story about hope recently and thought I would share it with you. If you’ve ever felt despair, suffered setbacks or tragedies, or generally been at the receiving end of one or more curveballs thrown by life at you, this is a wonderful story that will lift your spirits and inspire you to #KeepMovingForward.
Once there were four candles burning in a room at night and they started talking to each other.
The first candle said, “I am Peace but at the moment there is constant upheaval and unrest. It seems no one wants me anymore. I can’t stay here.”
With that, the candle extinguished itself.
The second candle said, “I am Trust but everywhere I look, I see lies, deceit, and selfishness. I don’t think I’m needed anymore.”
With that, the second candle extinguished itself.
The third candle said, “I am Love, I can burn all day but no one seems to have time to tell each other about me. They are all so busy. I can no longer stay here either.”
With that, the third candle extinguished itself.
It’s getting pretty dark by now and just then a young boy enters the room and seeing the extinguished candles says, “Why didn’t you burn to the end? How can you leave like this?”
The fourth candle says to the boy, “Don’t fret child. I am Hope, and while I am burning you can light the other candles again.”
With that, the boy takes the candle of Hope and relights the candles of Peace, Trust, and Love.
Here’s what we can learn from this beautiful and inspiring story:
No matter how dark it gets all around you and no matter how lonely, deserted, or helpless you feel, never lose hope. Hope is incredibly powerful – it has the ability to bring back to you everything you have lost.
So, whenever you encounter difficult and challenging times, always keep your candle of hope protected and lit. Because if it keeps on burning, you can easily light all other snuffed-out candles again and bring back light into your life.
