Our Deferred Hopes

 

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

  Deferred means to put off or postpone an action to a later time. For those with chronic illnesses and diseases those deferred hopes are sometimes put off indefinitely. 

  How many times have you made plans and had to cancel them because of your illness? How often has your disease gotten in the way of your wishes and desires? I must admit that far too often my hopes have been deferred because of my health. 

  We need peace from God to get us through times of disappointment, to get us through days when our best laid plans are thrown out the door because illness intrudes upon our lives. 

  We can do everything in our power to smooth the way for the outcome we wish, and yet have health issues so overwhelm us that nothing we do can bring about fulfillment of the best planning. 

  People like to plan for vacations. Yet anyone living with illness and disease must measure carefully their ability and reality against their wants and desires. 

  The facts about our illnesses and diseases must be considered carefully when thinking about our desired outcomes. Seeing the glass half full is good in practice, but acknowledging reality will save us from having to pick up the pieces of unrealistic expectations. 

  If we pray and ask God for wisdom and guidance in our planning, perhaps we can see our hopes fulfilled no matter the outcome. At times challenges may overwhelm our desires, and it is then that we need Jesus to hold us together. There will be times when our hopes get deferred. 

  Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to be optimistic realists, willing to push the envelope, but not become undone if that envelope pushes us back. Amen.