During the Vietnam War the M.A.S.H. unit took care of hundreds of wounded soldiers. It was the duty of military doctors to diagnose the condition of the wounded.

Nurses followed with a clipboard and tags to put on the toes of the wounded. They were designated as “No Hope”, “Medical Help Needed”, or “Dead”. The doctor determined that one of the men was hopeless and had the nurse tag him “No Hope”, but she heard a faint whisper from him and knelt down beside his cot.

He persuaded her to change the tag to “Medical Help Needed.”

That man lost his leg but recovered and went home to his family and became a productive member of his community.

Hope saved his life. Perhaps there’s someone hopeless in your circle of friends that desperately needs hope today.

The three French Hens represent the Theological Virtues: Faith, Hope, and Charity (agape = love). These three key virtues are referred to often in the New Testament. They summarize all the other Christian virtues in a nutshell. Faith is trusting in the omniscience (all knowing) of God. It is resting in Him because we are assured in our hearts that He has a great plan for us.

Hope, however, is not passive trust. It is aggressive in desiring something. Some confuse faith, which is passive by nature, and hope, which is aggressive and takes action. But both have to do with belief. The Hebrew writer said that faith is the substance of things hoped for.

Charity is a better word than love because ‘Agape’ requires action, not feelings. ‘Agape’ actually kicks into gear when feelings are absent or negative.

Our True Love, God gave us these three gifts. PTL!