Disappointments and Hope

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

The summer of 1988 was the last year our oldest daughter, Marianne, would be free to be home all summer.  She would leave for college in August and college students often find other things to do in the summer besides spend time with family—like jobs or summer classes. We decided to take a trip which we hoped to be a memorable one for all of us. I was having a hard time with the prospect of my firstborn leaving home and so was Wayne, though, he didn’t admit it. We wanted this trip to be special.

We decided to visit Niagara Falls. We planned it for the week before Marianne was to leave for college.  We couldn’t leave the day we’d planned and at this point in time I don’t remember why.  Two days later we headed to Niagara Falls, arrived safely and began to explore the beautiful sights.  That part was great! We had a motel room for one of our two nights there, but for whatever reason that I don’t remember we didn’t have a room for the other night.  We looked on the Canadian and U.S. sides and found one room with one king-size bed.  There were four of us!

I considered using the van – only briefly. Not a good option.  We unloaded our luggage and decided one daughter would join Wayne and me in the bed and the other daughter would sleep on the floor on the extra blankets in the room. But to make matters worse the sheets on the bed had not been changed so we had to wait for them to clean the room. The bathroom needed some attention as well. We finally got some sleep that night though not as comfortable as we’d hoped. The trip we wanted to be memorable was—but in the wrong way.  We can laugh about it now, but not then.

I tell this story because it illustrates disappointment. We have a lot of those in life, don’t we? Some disappointments are rather minor, such as our delayed trip, but other disappointments are traumatic. I’m thinking of those who suffer through floods, shootings, death of loved ones, ill-health, miscarriages, and broken families. In the past three years my disappointments included the death of my mom and my husband. My mom didn’t get to celebrate hers and Daddy’s 70^th wedding anniversary and Wayne and I didn’t get to celebrate our 50^th. We had talked about and planned for those milestones.

I think about those in Bible times who were disappointed such as Naomi and Ruth who lost husbands to death. Joseph, who was sold as a slave and unjustly put in prison. The early Christians were persecuted for their faith just as many are today. The thing is, in spite of our suffering and disappointments God is still God. The sun still rises and sets. The beauty of Niagara Falls didn’t change. God doesn’t change!

We who are Christ followers have hope. We hurt and weep through our suffering. We pray. We still hurt and weep, but we know this isn’t all there is. Peter says it this way:

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3-5).

Thank you, Lord, for shielding us by your power as we endure sufferings and disappointments on this earth. Thank you for giving us living hope through the death and resurrection of your Son, Jesus. Amen.