Just
as darkness must give way to light, fear must give way when we choose to allow
hope into our heart.
Fear of disappointment is the enemy of hope. How
many times have you wanted to be excited about a potential new job or the
outcome of a relationship, but didn’t want to set yourself up for
disappointment? A great example of this belief is
found in the story of the prodigal son.
The prodigal son decided to
leave his father’s household and venture out into the world so he could make his own decisions about his own life. The folks he surrounded himself
with all left when his funds ran out. Then a famine came and the son ended up
in terrible circumstances. He eventually decided to go back home and beg his
father for mercy, hoping he'd be allowed to become one of the servants. Not wanting to be disappointed, the prodigal son
had absolutely no hope in forgiveness and grace. Fear lied to the son about the
father’s heart.
In truth, the father was waiting and
watching for his son to come home. Rather than being angry and holding a
grudge, the father felt loving compassion and ran to his son, kissing and
hugging him. Yes, there were barriers they needed to address, but the father wanted
his son to hope into a full restoration of the relationship rather than
settling for something less. Opening up to receive his father’s genuine loving embrace changed the son’s heart. It gave him the courage to see and confess his
own brokenness as well as hope into personal and relational change.
Living the
abundant life encompasses cultivating an excitement and passion to see and
connect with God in our everyday life. Fear of disappointment limits our ability to receive all that God wants to bring into our life. It’s impossible to be passionate without
hope. Unfortunately, mankind has learned how to beat hope down to a manageable
size. We analyze the practicality of our dreams based on reasonableness and risk. Such a life strategy is based on managing
fear rather than anchoring to the author of hope.
In 2
Timothy 1:7 we’re told not to live a life out of timidity and fear. Hoping into
God’s heart gives us the strength and courage to triumph over fear. Ask God to
deposit His hope into your heart. It will change your view about everything.
- Hope that God really does love you all the time, no matter how you feel about yourself and your actions.
- Hope that your heart can be transformed and your life changed.
- Hope that you can trust in God and others rather than self-protect out of fear.
- Hope that God has a wonderful, amazing plan for your life!
Photo courtesy of medicboyz.blogspot.com
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