Why Jesus Is My Hope—Even in My Disappointment

As the season changes here, I’ve been intermittently looking back and looking ahead. I’m reminding myself of one truth: Jesus is my hope for the future, and he is my hope in the face of my deepest disappointments.

I don’t know what your past season looked like.

Maybe you put everything you had into your career, and there’s still no fruit to be seen. Maybe you lost the job you loved.

You might have had goals for your finances, your waistline, your marriage, or your ministry. Maybe some of these areas are worse off now than they were when you had all that hope.

Even worse, you might have achieved every goal you set for yourself. You lost the weight, gained the promotion, climbed out of debt, and saw a dream come to fruition. And then you woke up, took a hard look at it all, and realized you still lacked the fulfillment you hoped it would all bring.

Maybe this is the worst kind of disappointment of all: Reaching a goal, only to realize you still feel just as empty as you felt when you set out.

Why Jesus Is My Hope

Regardless of where this day finds you, I encourage you to reflect on the past season. Assess your goals, and bring your hard losses to Jesus.

Be real about your deepest disappointments.

You just might discover something surprising about your deepest disappointments. Disappointments are gateways to hope.

Disappointments remind us we’ll never be fully satisfied in this life. We were made for face-to-face communion with the One who created us. We were made to worship him forever and live in unbroken fellowship with him. Every disappointment from your past season is an invitation to remind yourself of your true source of hope: Jesus.

Every disappointment from your past is an invitation to remind yourself of your true source of hope: Jesus. #HopeinJesus #Hope #HopeScripture Click To Tweet

Disappointment reminds us that no amount of material possessions, social esteem, or even ministry success will ever leave us fully satisfied. We were made to walk with God. We won’t be fully satisfied until we’re in his presence—standing before his throne.

If you’re feeling disappointed today, if your dreams haven’t come to fruition—or if they have, and you’re still struggling—let your disappointment lead you to a place of hope. Let it lead you to the hope of what is to come.

Jesus Is My Hope: Bible Verses to Remind You

Here are a few promises to cling to when disappointment is high and hope is nowhere to be found:

1. We have hope in Christ because we will spend eternity with him.

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. Philippians 3:20-21

2. We can hope in what God is preparing for us.

What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him. 1 Corinthians 2:9

3. The hope of heaven awaits all followers of Christ.

In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? John 14:2

4. One day, all pain and sadness will cease.

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. Revelation 21:4

5. Jesus is my hope because today’s suffering is temporary.

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

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If your hope is deflated today, let these promises breathe new life into your soul. Today’s disappointment can point you to tomorrow’s hope.

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Calling All Mothers and Daughters!

Lastly, in addition to writing to adults, I am also passionate about ministering to the next generation.

My 12-year-old daughter Bekah and I wrote a mother-daughter devotional book together, and it is designed to help moms and daughters connect and grow in faith together. It’s called Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, commentaries from both of us, conversation starters, and even a journaling section. We had a blast writing it, and we are so excited to share it with you. Our vision is for girls ages 7-17 to enjoy it with their moms, grandmas, or older women they look up to.

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