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, 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.
Morgan Freeman in The Shawshank Redemption (IMDB)
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 meets a man named Red, and the two strike 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 exists.
In spite of being an innocent man in a tough prison, Andy holds on to hope — hope of escape and hope of life beyond prison walls. And that hope is what keeps him going. Andy’s dream is to go to a little Mexican town on the Pacific Ocean called Zihuatanejo. His plans include buying and running a hotel, fixing up an old boat to take his guests deep-sea fishing. He once asks Red to be his assistant, but Red says he doesn’t think he could make it in the outside world. A few minutes later Red chastises Andy for holding on to such a fairy-tale pipedream.
In one of many powerful scenes in the movie, Andy talks with his friends about the need for hope, especially in prison. Red, angered by Andy’s naïve words of hope, says, “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 doesn’t buy what Red says. Andy continues to hope, even after 20 hard years at Shawshank. And Andy doesn’t just have hope for himself; he also inspires hope in others. For example, he helps young men get their GED, and he builds a first-class library for the inmates. In the end Andy even inspires hope in his dear friend Red, the one who said hope is a dangerous thing.
After spending 20 years in Shawshank prison for a crime he did not commit, Andy finally escapes. Not long after Andy’s escape, Red finds himself paroled. But Red isn’t adjusting well to life outside prison. In fact, he almost decides to commit a crime so he can return to the security of prison life. However, one thing keeps 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 says 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 decides to go to Mexico. As he travels on the bus, excited as a schoolboy, Red speaks the final words of the movie. He says, “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 is, that through the power of hope, Red is 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.
Martin Thielen
Martin Thielen, a retired minister, is the creator and author of www.DoubtersParish.com.