All movements are led with a lantern of hope, for it is in that light that we can keep dreams alive and work toward better tomorrows. In the midst of the Civil Rights movement, people were continually hoping for a better future while living in the midst of their despair. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s pinnacle moment was when he went off script and started with a simple refrain…”I have a dream.” His dream was not only his, but a dream captured by millions of people that longed for a day where the color of their skin would never be a determining factor of their worth or abilities. Sadly, we are still dreaming for such a day.

MLK, Jr once stated, “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope. “ For, it is vision that allows us to see beyond the latest success or failure. To summon movements of justice, we must take the long view as the focus, realizing that there will always be momentary success and failure as a part of the journey.

Jesus was one who could paint a picture of what we are aiming for. In his teachings, he often used the refrain, ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is like…” With each broad stroke, he invited those early disciples, and us even now, to raise eyes of hope to the horizon of a world marked by God’s way. So he says; this kingdom is like a pearl of great value; it is like a mustard seed, which starts so small and grows to house the families of birds; it is like the seed fallen to the ground that begins sprouting all around.

What Jesus continually does is invite hope to be present in the midst of the mundane reality. Most of his teachings on this vision have a common thread—they start small and grow through time. A single seed of hope is often enough to sprout a new vision of reality worth fighting for!