#18: A Tale of the Old West

Faith,
                 Hope
                       and Charity.
                                                                  These three always go together. And I don't know about anyone else out there but I always had a hard time keeping faith and hope separate in my mind...they just seem to be used interchangably but I know they're different (otherwise the phrase "faith, hope, and charity" would be completely redundant). So what's the difference?

This morning, I was thinking back on a story one of my teachers told me years ago (I told you that you made a difference, Brother Butterfield!!). This story has stuck with me all this time because of how it demonstrates faith and hope and what the difference is. Here's the story as I remember it:

A man is wandering through the desert, dying of thirst. His canteens are hanging empty at his side. Just when he thinks all is lost, he comes upon a deserted town. In the middle of this ghost town is an old, dried-up well. Next to the pump the man finds a small jug of water and a note:

"Use this water to prime the well."

The story can take two different routes at this point. In one version of the story, the man isn't willing to take the chance on this old well and drinks the water in the jug instead. This tale doesn't have a very happy ending and the man perishes in the desert before he can reach civilization.

In the other version of the story, the man decides to take a leap of faith and trust that his sacrifice will lead to enough water to restock his supply so he can survive until he gets out of the desert. Here's where the tie-in to faith, hope and charity comes in:

Pouring the water down the well to prime the pump is FAITH. Faith is an action. In this case, the man's faith comes by testing the promise on the note.

Now, can the man just sit there and "hope" the well starts working? No--he has to pump the handle for all he's worth! That's real hope. HOPE is what sustains you between an act of faith and when you receive the promised blessing.

Where does charity fit in this situation? The man can demonstrate CHARITY by refilling the jug for the next person that comes along.

I love this analogy. Faith, hope and charity are all action words and this helps me to remember that to really have faith, hope, or charity I have to show it. I hope this story helps you remember the differences between these three principles and how important ALL of them are.

And, no matter what your circumstances are--never, never give up hope!