Hope Without Disappointment

Spring is coming and it is glorious! The weather will be above zero ALL WEEK!! I am really excited for that. Although, I am sick so I will not really be enjoying it that much other than from the comfort of my own bed and patio. But just knowing it's coming is so great.
And just as us North Dakotas (or any other region that experiences the dreariness and cold of winter) look expectantly towards green grass and rain showers, each of us has something we hope for. Something we look forward to, strive towards. Something we feel we must press in and wait for. This weekend I listened to a great podcast by Don Miller on hope and how it changes lives. He began by referencing an interview with Tom Brady (pre-SuperBowl defeat). Tom was asked which SuperBowl ring was his favorite and he said, "The one I haven't gotten yet. Why is it that I always want what I don't have yet?" Don makes a point that this is true of us all really. But we have advertisers telling us that we don't have what will make us happy but with this product, we could be. Or maybe it's that next pay level or job. Or __________ (Fill In the Blank). We are in a constant search to find SOMETHING that fulfills our hope. But more often than not, we buy in and find ourselves disappointed in the end.
The Scripture he used, and I will as well, is Romans 8. This chapter has been so powerful in my life of late I almost have it memorized. The thing that strikes a chord with me is the longing and hoping we see. It's not just me who is dissatisfied with this life on earth. No, even creation has threads of longing and hoping for more than this woven into the tapestry of this planet. I am not the only who wants to be more, do more, see more. And the greatest thing about Romans 8, we know that God is the one being held to this hope being fulfilled. And God's character is faithfulness. Did your heart just beat? Did the sun rise today (regardless if you can REALLY see it)? Yes!! But I find I have allowed myself to hope in so many things, only to be disappointed. I've even claimed the verse "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life" (Proverbs 13:12 ESV) to make my point of no longer hoping in things. After hearing this message though, I was renewed in my thinking.
This passage talks about hoping and waiting and longing and all these things that are not yet seen. However, we're hoping in a faithful God and He does not disappoint. I struggle with that because, I have been disappointed! but have I really? My longing for relationship or finances or whatever - have they been putting my hope in things or in God? Cuz if I'm honest, God was right there by my side (NOT disappointing me) when all these things fell through or never appeared. He did not disappoint, but they did. So where does my hope rest? Who does it rest in? And if I have hope, can I have joy?
And joy is my desire these days. It's been good, but one can always experience more joy and never get tired of it. So I must leave now on the idea of hoping in God producing joy in my life. May you find this true for you today as well, friend.

"For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience."
~Romans 8:24-25