Returning to Hope
Hey again, friends!
I don't know about you all, but in the recent months, I've been learning how to hope again. I find myself starting to dream once more without feeling ungrateful or even doubtful that anything I long for will actually come to be. Let me start from the beginning, and maybe you’ll recognize some of this in your own life.
Sometime last year, I started to feel stagnant. I had just finished training for my new position, I was chipping away at my associates, I had settled into my apartment, I had a new group of women I was leading, and yet… I felt stagnant. If you have ever been there, you'll know that feeling meaningless is a painful place to be, especially as a Christian. It is hard enough to trust God with your life and all of your decisions, let alone when you wake up one day and think, "Is this it?" I was working myself into misery and studying for a degree that I wouldn't see for years. It all felt so mundane. Does this sound familiar? Have you seen yourself here?
Initially, I was confused. I was as successful as a 21-year-old could be, but I was filled with constant dread. Why? Because I had not dared to dream. I had not entertained any goals, desires, or aspirations. When I thought about the future or who I wanted to be in 10 years, she had seemed so far out of reach that I stopped dreaming for her altogether, and I didn't even realize what I had given up until a loved one sat me down and made me verbalize all of the dreams I used to have for myself. I can remember now how emotional I became at the idea that I lost the hope that fueled my dreams and my drive.
Why is hope important? Why dream? Isn't it better to accept reality and settle down? Those are a few of the questions I wrestled with, and the Lord’s specific convictions rattled the way I viewed dreaming and hope. A few of those convictions are in this list:
1) Did I give up my dreams out of disappointment that they weren't happening exactly how I dreamed of?
2) Was I bitter with God for not fulfilling desires that were purely selfish and self-serving?
3) Was I scared to bring my dreams to God for fear that He would reject them or find them inconsequential?
You may be shocked, but my answer to all of those convictions was 100% yes. The disappointment, the bitterness, and the fear all played a part in why I stopped believing in my dreams. So when we find ourselves here... how do we fight our way out? A good way to recognize this is by asking whether our desires are centered on ourselves or if they reflect something greater—something that aligns with who God is and what He calls us to. Proverbs 29:18 (KJV) says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” This verse is often used to justify personal ambition, but the word “vision” is translated to mean something much different — “Revelation” (NIV), “Prophetic vision“ (ESV), and “Divine guidance” (NLT). You see, the word “Vision” does not mean personal goal; it’s a direction from God. In other words, without God’s direction, we lose our way.
Once you receive that direction from the Lord, hold fast to hope. Hope often reflects the state of our faith—when our faith feels steady, hope comes more easily, but when our faith is shaken, hope can feel distant and fragile. The Bible doesn’t ignore how difficult that can be. It says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life” (Proverbs 13:12). When our hope is stretched over time, it’s natural to feel discouraged, but when it is finally fulfilled, the fruit of that waiting season carries a depth and meaning that could only have been formed in the waiting.
If you are in a season right now like the one that I was in, I encourage you to hold fast to your hope. One of my favorite verses about hope comes from a place of heartache. Lamentations 3:21-23 says, “Yet this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning.” Maybe this season isn’t where everything moves forward the way we expect. Maybe it’s where we learn how to hope again—not because everything is changing, but because God is still present in the waiting. And maybe that kind of hope is the kind that lasts.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles… they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
“But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.”
Personal Journal Prompts:
Have I stopped dreaming? If so, when and why?
Have I been hesitant to bring my dreams to God? Why?
What would it look like to choose hope today, even if nothing around me changes?
What is one small hope or dream I can begin to hold onto again?
