When I think of a man of hope, Saint Paul the Apostle comes to my mind. Despite all the hardship and suffering he had to face and endure, he never lost hope. He never gave up his zeal for evangelization.

One day, he expressed his hardship as follows:

"I am still more, with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, far worse beatings, and numerous brushes with death. Five times at the hands of the Jews I received 40 lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I passed a night and a day on the deep; on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own race, dangers from Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea, dangers among false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many sleepless nights, through hunger and thirst, through frequent fasting, through cold and exposure." (2 Corinthians 11:23-27)

If I were in his shoes, what would I do? Would I be able to accept all the situations and carry my cross of life?

I still feel fragile especially when I am discouraged by negative comments and the signs of contradiction. However, through encouraging and inspiring letters, St. Paul gives us a good example of witnessing the truth without losing hope.

"We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)

There is a poem entitled "Don't Quit" that encourages us not to lose inner peace and hope but to go through all the situations with twists and turns. I encountered this poem among the holy cards displayed on the bookshelf in the bookshop.

"Don't Quit" was written by Edgar A. Guest (1881-1959) who was born in England but moved to Detroit, Michigan, when he was young. He wrote about 11,000 poems and served as Michigan's poet laureate. "Don't Quit" first published in the Detroit Free Press on March 4, 1921, is as follows:

Don't Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,

When the funds are low and the debts are high,

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit,

Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,

As every one of us sometimes learns,

And many a failure turns about,

When he might have won had he stuck it out;

Don't give up though the pace seems slow—

You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than.

It seems to a faint and faltering man,

Often the struggler has given up,

When he might have captured the victor's cup,

And he learned too late when the night slipped down,

How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out—

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,

And you never can tell how close you are,

It may be near when it seems so far,

So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit—

It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

Thus, never give up! As Adgar recommends, take a rest when necessary, but never quit! Keep going…

Kim Ae-ran is a member of the Daughters of St. Paul (Figlie di San Paolo), living the Good News and proclaiming it with various means of social communication.