We all experience disappointments in life: the loss of a home or job, hurt feelings, difficult circumstances. Disappointment is the result of someone or something not meeting our expectations. As followers of Jesus Christ, we have the privilege of filtering our disappointments through hope in Him.
We can have hope in spite of disappointment because Jesus’ sacrifice brings us a greater hope — the hope of new life. First Peter 1:3 (NIV) reads, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy, he has given us new birth in to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” Discovering the living hope that is found in Jesus means that we do not have to be constantly disappointed. Hope does not carry around hurts, insecurities or offenses. Instead, we can have hope because there is more to come. And we can rejoice knowing that He willingly went to the cross so we could live abundant spiritual lives now, not just in Heaven.
We’re able to release our disappointments and embrace God’s Truth because the power of the Holy Spirit fills us with hope. Romans 15:13 (NIV) states, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Believing in God and His Truth produces joy and peace in us. And, as a result of the divine work of the Holy Spirit, we experience hope. This supernatural hope allows us the opportunity to see God provide for us when our children make life-altering mistakes, a business deal falls through or a friend doesn’t fulfill an obligation.
When feeling overwhelmed by disappointment, we can have an attitude of thankfulness towards God, which produces hope. First Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV) says, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” We are told in this verse to be thankful in every situation, including when we’re let down or disappointed. A thankful heart says, “God, I’m disappointed and this hurts; but even though this hurts, I can be thankful for who you are to me (provider, healer, etc.)”. Our thankfulness moves the focus from ourselves and our expectations to God and His goodness.
Although we are children of God, we live in a sinful world and experience dissatisfaction when our expectations aren’t met. Because we have hope through Jesus Christ, we do not have to live with constant disappointment: God offers us hope in its place. Instead of focusing on the circumstances that fall short of our expectations, we can focus on the hope we have in Jesus, with thankful hearts, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
By Danielle Harmon