Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12

 

Crushing disappointment is one of the most challenging emotions to navigate because disappointment can stamp out hope.

 

Natalia was devastated. Her wedding had been canceled because the groom ran off with another woman. She’d been deeply in love and was now heartbroken, left with a myriad of disappointed hopes and dreams. Natalia struggled to pick up the pieces of her life, plagued by thinking that if she had just done this or that differently, perhaps the marriage would have taken place. She’d been torturing herself with every “what if” scenario.

 

The Bible acknowledges that “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Proverbs 13:12). And, in a world of brokenness, sin, and pain, we all live with the potential for constant regret. But, says the second half of the proverb, “a dream fulfilled is a tree of life” (Proverbs 13:12).

 

Amid all these mistakes, heartbreaks, and disappointments, God gives us a wonderful promise: He says that you can’t derail His plan for you. His Word promises that He always acts with good purpose, turning every circumstance into good in the lives of those who love Him and answer His call to them (Romans 8:28).

 

Because of this, even the most brokenhearted can still take courage and watch for that good. As Robert Jones put it, “Your Redeemer [Jesus] is bigger than your past.”[1] He is not discouraged by the mess of our circumstances, and we can worship God with hope in His promises! Whether it takes days, years, or decades, we will one day see how God has unfolded His good dream for each of his followers.

 

[1] Jones, Robert D. “The Past in Perspective.” Bad Memories: Getting Past Your Past, P&R Publishing, 2004, pp. 32.