It was pitch-black outside. This didn't just apply to the lack of sunlight, but also to the ever-dimming hopes of a small group of survivors. These were the only ones standing between innocent women and children, and forces of pure evil bent on the total destruction of everything in their path. The survivors had already been in a desperate defensive position all night, and their strength for more combat was all but gone. Things looked bleak, and it seemed the only thing left to do was to hold back the door a few more moments before inevitable death.

Often, we humans can find ourselves in the middle of the night, literally and figuratively, with little hope for something better amid all our pain, regrets, and self-doubt. It seems like the fight is over. We've tried our best and failed. It could have been a bad day, bad week; maybe you think it's been a bad life altogether. We can hold back the door that if opened would mean giving up entirely to this state of depression. For some, this means no longer "faking it"; in more serious cases it can be suicide.

Is there an alternative to giving in? In such dire circumstances such as divorce, bankruptcy, a lost home, lost brother, loss of all friends, is there any reason to keep fighting? Maybe it's got little to do with outside circumstances, and you can't get past your own shortcomings: addiction, hatred, no motivation. Life is hard. But there's always reason to fight.

Before the battle began, the protagonist of the above scene was confronted with the prospect of imminent defeat: "The men are saying that we will not live out the night. They say that it is hopeless." In response, he said, "There is always hope."

Now, as he himself could see little hope in victory, he implored those around him to make one final march on the enemy. They would go out fighting. Had they not decided to do so, it may have been too late for the reinforcements all had forgotten about. As dawn shone through a window and all were ready to die in battle, the man remembered the instruction: "Look to my coming at first light on the fifth day. At dawn, look to the east." Vain hope instantly became very real.

Most probably know by now that the scene comes from the movie "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," the adaptation from J.R.R. Tolkien's book. Some will appreciate the reference more than others, but the analogy is apt regardless. Even if all hope seems lost, fight for the morning. It's always darkest before the dawn.

"But this I call to mind, and therefore, I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never dome to an end; they are new every morning, great is thy faithfulness." -- Lamentations 3:21-23