Never lose hope, it will come

   I remember reading the poems of Langston Hughes as a student. One of them stuck with me, especially after it became the subject of the play “A raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry.

  The poem was called “A dream deferred” It asked the question, “What happens to a dream differed, does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?

   The short poem defined the frustrations of the youth of my generation who burned down Watts, rioted after the assassination of Dr. King, shouted Black Power. 

  

We were angry because the dream of justice and equality seemed like a hopeless nightmare.

   Hughes's poem said when hope is lost it may fester like a sore and run, stink like rotten meat or it might explode.

   Today, another generation is angry because of hope deferred, it’s marching and screaming, too.

   As a young man, I found hope in the promises of God. I learned to constantly push to make dreams happen, but despite the frustrations, never lose hope.

  I kept the promise of fulfillment in front of me. I found consolation in Proverbs 13:12 which says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”

   Whatever your dream, don’t lose hope. Keep working to make it happen. 

   If God has blessed it, it will happen.