30 Jan Misplaced Hope

Her daughter is upset because the party was postponed; by the way she’s acting, you would think the whole world had ended!

“Get over it,” she wants to say; “Move on!  The party will still happen, just not today.”  But her daughter is so down, depressed really, because this party is all she’s looked forward to.   She vaguely remembers what it was like to be a teenager and have those intense feelings of disappointment, but she sure is glad life is different now.

But is it?

Doesn’t she do the exact same thing?  Doesn’t her happiness wax and wane with her children’s happiness, or how successful she feels, or how much money is left in the checking account each month?

She sees that, just like her daughter, she is misplacing her hope in temporary things, temporary relationships, ones that can never fully satisfy.  She’s lost sight of “forever” and the hope that she has for eternity and hope for today in Jesus.  She should always keep in mind what 2 Cortinthians 4:18 says. “So we fix our eyes on not what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

With this fresh perspective in mind, how can she nurture her daughter through the latest “crisis”?  How can she lead her daughter to see that she’s placing all of her hope in something that can never meet her needs?  Jesus is the only one who can ever live up to those expectations.  She can start by trusting Jesus for help today to nurture her daughter as He has called her to do.

Have you recognized your tendency to trust in things or people other than Jesus?  How can you place your hope more fully in Him?