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And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. Romans 5:5
What is the biggest thing you have ever hoped for that ended in disappointment? I remember one Christmas growing up when I hoped for a certain toy to be under the tree. I laid as many hints as a seven-year old could about what I wanted. I even prayed for it to happen. I figured if Santa couldn’t come through, at least God would.
I think you know what happened. I got some really cool gifts that Christmas, but not the one thing I’d hoped for. I was disappointed.
Now, years later and many disappointments later I quite honestly can’t remember what I even wanted that Christmas. I just remember the disappointment.
To be fair, in spite of my not-so-subtle hints, my parents either missed the messages or simply couldn’t afford the gift I wanted more than anything.
We all hope for things. I can’t imagine anyone walking the wedding aisle without hoping this marriage will last ‘til death do us part.’ Yet more than half of all marriages end broken.
No one takes a drink of alcohol with the hope of becoming an addict. Yet addiction to drugs is a rampant scourge on society.
No one drives a new car off the lot hoping it will be repossessed soon. But debt attacks us from all sides with no mercy.
No matter how hard you try, more often than not our hopes end in disappointment. We’ve tried our hardest. We’ve prayed. We’ve looked in the Bible for answers. Still, with all our efforts, many of our hopes end in disappointment.
With all the disappointments we face in life there is one hope we can count on to not disappoint. Simply stated, “Jesus Loves Me This I Know”.
Others will fail you. Some will malign you and reject you. Hopes for ‘things’ will fall empty to the ground. But, ‘Jesus Loves You’ and that’s a hope you can bank on!
I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. John 14:18
A dear friend of mine passed away suddenly a few weeks ago. While she was in her mid-seventies, she was more active than some half her age. She left behind three adult children, several grandchildren, many, many special friends and Suzie (not her real name).
Suzie was a young, special needs child that my friend adopted at a young age. She’d come from a very bad home life and had been bounced from one family member to another and several foster homes. That changed when she was adopted. My friend raised her as her own, helped her to excel to the best of her ability and watched her mature into a beautiful young lady.
Suzie wrote a letter to ‘her mom’ which was read at the funeral by someone else. It started something like this: “Dear mom, I remember the first time I met you. I asked you if you wanted me. You said yes.”
If there had been a dry eye in the house up to this point, it was gone! ‘Do you want me?’
The words still linger in my mind. We all ask that question. Not in so many words, not in such dire times, although for some we do. We all want to be wanted. We all NEED to be wanted. It’s an intrinsic part of our human nature. That’s why we seek relationships; why we work so hard for status, power and riches. The need to be wanted is at the heart of our social networking sites or our favorite night spots.
The need to be wanted also has a negative effect. When we can’t find fulfillment for the hole in our souls that screams for acceptance we try other relationships that may harm us, harm other people or destroy our bodies with drugs, alcohol or other things.
“Do you want me?”
It’s a question Jesus answers on a daily basis. “I will not leave you as orphans.” Get it? He wants you. Orphans have nothing to give. Orphans have an unknown past, and may bring emotional, physical or intellectual baggage that you aren’t ready to deal with. But Jesus says, I don’t care about all that. I want you.
Each of us is an orphan in a spiritual sense. Each of us have nothing to give, no hope for the future and carry enough luggage to fill an airliner. Our need to feel wanted is fulfilled through Jesus Christ. He makes no requirements other than that we accept his gift of adoption into his family.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, there are so many times I feel alone, rejected or unable to meet the demands of today that others put on me or I put on myself. Thank you for adopting me. Thank you for wanting me, baggage and all. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 