Awaking Hope

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. (Pro.13:12 NIV)

Hope.  Hope always.  Hope in all things at all times.  A good friend said, "We need to hope more.  There is faith in hope."

As a teacher, I experience hope a lot.  Every winter-season there are opportunities for hope.  If you're in the education system you know exactly to what I am referring.  SNOW DELAYS.  This morning upon getting up I knew there'd be snow and a possibility of a snow delay.  The first thing I did when I woke up was to check a local news channel for delays/cancellations.  There were only 17, none in Cumberland county... so I got my shower.  That was 'hope deferred'.  We need to be careful that when we experience a deferred hope, that we do not allow that to be a stronghold for the enemy.  It would have been easy for me to experience anger and resentment (toward the other schools that Did have snow delays) and to have allowed that to taint my day at work.  In fact I did have to battle that a little, because two very close-by schools had delays, but my school did not.  But I got over it.

After getting out of the shower, I decided to check again for my hope of a 2-hour delay.  Finally my 'longing was fulfilled' and my school had now posted a delay.  How do you think I felt?  If you're not a teacher, allow me to let you in on a little secret:  We, as teachers, love snow delays just as much as every child does!  WAHOO!  Having my longing fulfilled truly was a tree of life!  I felt a new energy brewing inside of me, not just for the fact that I could go back to sleep for a while, but because of this simple fact:  My hope was fulfilled.  Rejoice and be glad; Thank the Lord when He fulfills one of your hopes, no matter how small or insignificant it seems:  He is Lord of ALL THINGS, and that includes your smallest and simplest hopes.  And allow your fulfilled hopes to bring you joy and increase your faith.  The Lord is good!

By the way:  I never was able to fall back asleep again that morning.  ugh.


What if my hope never seems to be fulfilled?
This question popped into my head since I just gave you an example of a hope that was fulfilled.  But I have hopes that still have not been fulfilled.  What about those?  Well remember, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick..." Therefore, you need to be watching your heart.

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.  (Prov. 4:23, NIV)

We must continue to trust in the Lord.  Your heart is the wellspring of your life; it's the fountain that determines in part how you feel and act.  If your heart is sick or troubled it will manifest in your flesh, in the way you act.  So we need to guard our hearts.  I have been hoping in the Lord for a healing.  In the spiritual realm we have already seen this miracle take place but it has not manifested in the natural yet.  So I have two options:  I can continue to hope and trust in the Lord, or I can allow my heart to become sick.  It's a choice, you see?  If your hope, like some of my hopes, have not yet been fulfilled, continue to trust in the Lord for His timing and guidance.  He will fulfill the longings of your heart, but they may not be in your timing.  And just imagine how great your 'tree of life' will be when your hope is finally realized!  Great things always take time to develop.

So I encourage you again:  Hope.  Hope always.  Hope in all things at all times.  The Lord loves you and has good things planned for you.  Things that you wouldn't be able to imagine even if He told you!