Lesson 10
Lesson 10 – HOPE FOR YOUR FUTURE
Teacher Preparation
Key Concepts
There is hope no matter one’s circumstances.
The Christian hope is through the person of Jesus Christ.
Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students should be able to:
• Discuss prominent peoples’ thoughts about hope.
• Watch a role-play of encouragement.
▪ Design a TV or radio spot and present it to the class.
• Through a story, understand a spiritual basis for hope.
Materials and Preparation
Before class, write the following four quotes on the board:
“Where there’s hope, there’s life. It fills us with fresh courage and makes us strong again.” -Anne Frank
“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” -Helen Keller
“Hope lies in dreams, in imagination, and in the courage of those who dare to make dreams into reality.” -Jonas Salk
“To live without hope is to cease to live.” -Fyodor Dostoevsky
Beginning the Lesson
Introducing Hope
About 10 minutes
In the previous nine lessons, we have looked at many challenges you are facing as you enter your teen years: addiction to gaming, bullying, anxiety, depression, and suicide, among others. It would not surprise me if some of you are feeling negative or discouraged. However, I want you to know there are many reasons for hope, and that is the topic of our lesson today: hope!
On the board, I have written statements made by four exceptional people. I would like to tell you a little about each one of them.
When she was 13 to 15 years old, Anne Frank (1929-1945) kept a diary while she was hiding with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. Eventually, she was captured and died a few months later in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. After the war, her diary was published, translated into 60 languages, and has become an inspiration to millions.
[Read the Anne Frank quote or ask one of your students to read it to the class.]
Thank you. Now . . .
Despite being deaf and blind from early childhood, Helen Keller (1880-1968) became a world-famous author and speaker. She was the first deaf-blind person to earn a bachelor’s degree (from Radcliffe College in America). She authored 12 books and received honors from various countries including India, Switzerland, Spain, France, and the United States.
[Read the Helen Keller quote or ask one of your students to read it to the class.]
Thank you. Next, is . . .
Jonas Salk (1914-1995), who was an American doctor and researcher who developed the first widely-used vaccine for polio. Before his discovery in 1955, polio (poliomyelitis), which infects mainly young children, had killed thousands every year and had left hundreds of thousands paralyzed for life.
[Read the Jonas Salk quote or ask one of your students to read it to the class.]
Thank you. And now, we have . . .
Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881), who was a Russian novelist, journalist, and philosopher. Many literary critics consider him one of the world’s greatest authors.
[Read the Dostoevsky quote or ask one of your students to read it to the class.]
Thank you. Considering these people and what they said, what do you think their quotes have in common?
[Allow several students to answer. Possible answers: Hope. An attitude of hope leads to a life of significance. Thank the students for their responses.]
= 10 minutes
Role Play
About10 minutes
[Note: You are going to have students do a role-play with one side ‘hopeless’ and the other ‘encouraging.’ If you believe one student on each side would not be effective, you may create teams of 2-3 students on each side.]
In a moment, I am going to ask for volunteers to do a role-play in front of the class. On one side will be a student (or students) who will pretend to feel hopeless. On the other side will be an encourager (or encouragers) who will try to comfort them and suggest reasons for hope.
Who would like to play the hopeless role?
Who would like to play the encourager?
[If not enough volunteer, gently ask one or more individuals if they would be willing to help the class by being part of the role-play.
When you think the role-play has gone long enough, thank the students (perhaps lead the class in applauding) and ask the role-players to return to their seats.]
Thinking of things to say in front of a group is not easy and I appreciate the good job done by our volunteers. I wonder if the rest of us could add some ideas. What else might the encourager(s) have said to help the other(s) find reasons for hope?
[Accept several suggestions and offer any of your own ideas.]
= 20 minutes
Create TV or Radio Spots
About 20 minutes
I am going to divide the class into groups of 4-6 students. In each group you are going to create a 30-60-second TV or radio spot designed to encourage people who are feeling hopeless. In each group, I want you to do three things:
1. Choose a facilitator. The facilitator’s job is to make sure everyone has a chance to contribute.
2. Choose someone else to be a scribe. The scribe’s job will be to write down everyone’s ideas and then draft the final script of the spot. After it is finished, the scribe will read the spot to the class. Or if the group prefers, several people can take different roles in reading or acting out the spot.
3. The group will design and, if there is time, practice presenting their completed spot.
Are there any questions about what I want you to do in your groups?
[Briefly answer any questions.
Now, divide the class into groups of 4-6 students. You can either determine the groups yourself or let the students quickly decide. You may want to segregate the class into all-boy and all-girl groups. Announce that they have 10 minutes to complete their spots.
While the groups begin working, write on the board:
1. Choose a facilitator.
2. Choose a scribe.
3. Design a 30-60-second TV or radio spot.
When 10 minutes have passed, have each group present its spot to the class.]
= 40 minutes
story
About 5 minutes
Volqert: Your physical presence is requested at the World of Electronics.
The three friends decided to take the first available slot that afternoon. As they stepped
into the manager’s office, they heard Volqert’s voice.
Volqert: Good to see you. Your cousins have one more message for you.
As the friends sat down, the image filled the screen with Darlene patting her hair. “Are we recording?” she asked.
Dima laughed. “So, our cousins created a vlog?”
“Shhh, I want to hear what she has to say,” said Natasha.
“Does my hair look all right?”
“You look fine,” said Tony off-camera. “Quit stalling and start talking.”
“OK, this is your cousin Darlene.”
“They know that. They can see you.”
“Stop, you are making me nervous! Maybe we should just write a letter.”
“Go ahead and say what we planned and quit second-guessing yourself. Just imagine you are talking with them face to face.”
“Okay, here goes,” said Darlene. After a long pause, she began to speak in a rush of words.
“The hard truth is—you will never be smart enough or strong enough to face life’s challenges on your own. None of us are.”
“Tony, do you think I am being too blunt? Maybe I should first tell them how much we love them.”
“I think you just did,” said Tony.
“Hmmm, yes, I suppose I did. Anyway, we asked the folks at World of Electronics to create some experiences that would force you to face the ‘scars’ of fear, shame, and guilt in your lives.”
“Do not forget about the Evil String Master,” urged Tony’s voice.
“That is right!” added Darlene. “The scars in life are far more than simply physical, emotional, or mental—they are spiritual. Underneath everything there is a spiritual world war influencing everything that happens to us.”
Darlene glanced away at Tony, then back at the camera.
“The concern we had was that you might become discouraged or feel hopeless facing all these enemies.”
The three kids looked at each other and nodded. It felt like she was reading their thoughts.
“In all our travels, we learned a lesson, often the hard way. Our greatest source of hope and encouragement does not come from our own talent or cleverness. It does not even come from each other.”
Darlene glanced off camera and smiled.
“Tony and I have learned our best source of hope, especially when those spiritual enemies seem to be winning—our real hope comes from Jesus.”
“Yes!” said Natasha. “I thought that is where she was going with this.”
“Shh!” exclaimed Dima. “I want to hear this.”
Darlene’s smile made her face seem to glow. “We learned that Jesus was God—He was the one who made us. But he also became a man who died, then came back to life to defeat all those enemies Volqert has been showing you.”
Darlene stared intently at the camera.
“When Tony and I invited Jesus to come and live inside us, He gave us power to fight those enemies and win. He gave us our most potent and lasting source of hope.”
Darlene paused.
“You were going to tell them about the birds,” said Tony.
“That is right. Remember how fascinating it is to watch a bird in flight? The way its wings catch the wind, how it swoops and glides? That is how they were made and what they were meant to do. If a bird never left the ground, it might hop or peck but it would never experience the wonder of flight, never discover what it was truly meant to be.
“You, our dear cousins, were created to have the One who made you come and live inside you. Only with Jesus inside can you fully become who you were meant to be. He gives you true hope and the ability to defeat the enemies you face. All you have to do is ask Him to come in.”
“I think you have captured it!” said Tony.
“Do you think I ought to watch the recording, just to see if it is all right? I could do it
again.”
“No need. Like I said, you have captured the gist of it,” said Tony.
The computer screen went blank.
“Wait!” cried Sasha. “That cannot be all!”
“Maybe there is another vlog coming,” said Dima.
Volqert: I assure you the recording is complete.
Volqert’s voice was neutral and calm as always.
“So what’s next?” asked Sasha. “All of this has certainly awakened my appetite for more!”
“Yes, I cannot wait to see what they have planned for the next level of play!” added Dima.
The computer screen remained blank and unresponsive. An uncomfortable silence settled into the manager’s office. The three friends looked at each other and saw a shared sadness in each other’s eyes and just a hint of fear.
“This is not the end of the program our cousins bought for us, is it?” asked Natasha. The following message filled the computer screen:
Thank you for shopping at World of Electronics. Please come again.
= 45 minutes
Journal Activity
About 5 minutes
As you can tell from today’s story, the writers of this curriculum believe there is a spiritual world that lies behind all the problems we have been discussing. These Christian writers believe the greatest source of hope lies in a personal
relationship with God through placing your trust in Christ.
Just like everything else we have looked at in this curriculum, you will need to make your own decision about what you are going to believe and what you are going to do about what you believe.
Now, take out your journals. Please spend the next few minutes writing down your response to what we have looked at today. Do you personally believe your greatest source of hope could be in a relationship with Jesus? If so, what do you plan to do about it? If not, what is your own greatest source of hope to combat the enemies we have been discussing in this class?
=50 minutes
resources
focus points
There is hope no matter one’s circumstances, even in the most difficult times.
The Christian hope is through the person of Jesus Christ and building a personal relationship with Him. The first step is in accepting His forgiveness for all of our mistakes, bad thoughts, wrongdoing, and wrong attitudes. He welcomes us with a deep love for us.
GOING DEEPER
I wonder if any of you have done that—asked Christ into your life—and would be willing to share with us how that happened.
[Let two or three respond. If appropriate, share your own testimony.]
If another student came to you and asked, “How can I become a Christian?” how would you respond to him or her?
[Let one or two share. If you think what was shared was inadequate or incomplete, you might explain the gospel in four points:]
1. God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life.
(“Jesus said, ‘I came that they may have life and have it abundantly’” John 10:10 ESV.)
2. Our sin has kept us from experiencing the life God desires for us.
(“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” ESV.)
3. Jesus Christ died on the cross to forgive our sin and bring us a victorious new life.
(“Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” 1 Corinthians 15:57 ESV.)
4. If we confess our sin and invite Christ in, He will come in and change us.
(“Jesus said, ‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me’” Revelation 3:20 ESV; “To all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” John 1:12 ESV.)
Think on these things.
[If you feel comfortable doing so, invite any who have questions or concerns to come
and talk with you privately.]
Parent-Teacher Connection
For Family Discussion
Today in class we discussed hope. Ask your youth what he or she sees as sources of hope.
We also touched on the spiritual dimension of the problems teens confront. The Christian source of hope through placing our trust in Jesus was presented as a possible basis of hope. Ask your student his or her opinion of the Christian message and share your own views as well.
