Holding Onto Hope

Have you ever been overwhelmed with disappointment and discouragement, maybe even to the point of despair?

The closest I’ve come to despair was last summer. It felt like one disappointment after another kept hitting me on the head. The final straw was losing a close friend over a petty argument and regretting everything. But it was too late. Nothing I could do would solve this catastrophe.

Disappointment is often tied to two things: our inadequacies and lack of control.

When we fixate on what we can’t do, we are left feeling helpless and afraid. Afraid because we are faced with the sharp reality that we can’t dodge pain. We will never be unbreakable. We are, in fact, fallible.

And when we realize we aren’t perfect, we must admit that even if we were in control, things wouldn’t work out the way they were meant to. We weren’t created to be in control. Now that’s a hard pill to swallow.

I bet Jesus’ followers were in despair when they saw Him on the cross. They had faced constant persecution from an oppressive government, but they finally found a Savior. They finally had hope.

Disappointment requires a dashing of hope. That glimmer of light fading into nothingness.

And then, to see their only hope dying a humiliating death…reminding them that we are all breakable…well, that would just feel like the end, wouldn’t it?

But Jesus isn’t fallible. Jesus is perfect. Whole. In control.

And that’s why, three days later, their hopes would never be dashed again. Jesus’ resurrection makes all things new. All things alive, even our hopes and dreams.

Sure, their earthly desires wouldn’t often come to pass. They may have lost many close friends, regretted misspoken words or deeds, and suffered great losses.

But in the end, they could still have hope, and so can we. Hope that we have someone watching over us who loves us so much that He was willing to die for us.

Don’t lose hope. Something greater is coming. In fact, He’s already here. ❤

Happy Easter! He is risen! He is risen, indeed!

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

John 11:25-26