“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.”

Charles Dickens reveals his profound understanding of human nature. There must be people in the spring of hope and people in the winter of despair in every epoch. Imagine that you are an animal in the forest who wants to cross a river. Squirrel warns you that the flow is furious, and his companion just drowned yesterday while crossing it. But Hippo mocks you for being timid as the river is shallow in its view. Would you cross it? The growth of kids is like crossing the river. It depends not on the river condition but if our kids know what they are. Cross it bravely if they were horses. But they would better listen to the advice of the squirrel if they were monkeys. We wish our kids to be brave but listen to advice simultaneously. It appears to be tricky, but the key is if we allow the kids to explore what they are. They are growing at a time of hopelessness. Yet, God created mankind in his own image …. and said to them, “…Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” – Genesis 1: 27-28. Some are in the spring of hope, and some are in the winter of despair. It depends not on the situation but if we know that we are God’s divine creation with a unique life mission.