The Advent of Christ - The Believer's Hope

“Blessed by the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.”
1 Peter 1:3-5 ESV

I have a confession to make. I'm a hope seeker, but I'm also a hopeful realist. I tend to live my life with hopeful optimism for what I envision will happen in my life and the lives of my loved ones. However, I've also faced enough disappointed hope to become more realistic as I've come to understand that not every hope I have will materialize.
The season when I experienced this the greatest was during the years of infertility and pregnancy loss between my two kids. I had put so much hope in being a mom to a passel of kids and had to learn how to face the pain and disappointment of unrealized hope month after month for ten years.

Hopes disappointed.
Dreams dashed.
Wishes discouraged.
Expectation destroyed.

This is what it feels like every time I place my hope in something that doesn't happen. Many things I've hoped for over the years have come to fruition. Things I have prayed for, imagined, and believed in have become a reality. But just as many times, the things I've prayed for, yearned for, and placed a lot of expectation in didn't happen. I became afraid to hope for anything at this point.

There are few things that have the potential to negatively affect our faith more than disappointed hope; when we long for something so deeply and desperately, only for that hope to be dashed to smithereens, leaving us feeling discouraged and disheartened, doubting the goodness of God.

But there is nothing that builds and strengthens our faith more than having a correct understanding of what true Biblical hope is. The difference between "Worldly Hope" and the "Believer's Hope" is where our true hope lies. "Hope," according to the world, is an anticipation, expectation, and desire for something good to happen in the future. Worldly hope ends up looking more like wishful thinking.

Biblical hope, on the other hand, is a sure and confident expectation of something that has already happened as well as what God has promised will happen in the future. This hope is based on what is eternal and unseen rather than on what is temporal and seen. It's not a matter of what I am hoping for but what I am placing my hope in.

The truth is that our wishes are not always going to come true. But our hope is sure when it's placed in Jesus for salvation, as well as for strength, wisdom, and guidance. Our hope is rooted in God's unshaken, unchangeable character; it's a gift He's given us through grace. Hope is "a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul" (Hebrews 6:19 ESV). Our hope is built on the person and saving work of Jesus, so it's a hope that provides security and stability for our souls.

Many hopes we hold tightly to will end up disappointing and frustrating us, but when we have the Believer's hope, we don't just desire something good to happen in our future; we have the confident expectation that the work has already been accomplished through Jesus. Our hope has already been realized. The reality of our hope is found in what Jesus has already done (Redemption), which will ultimately lead us to the bright expectation of what will happen in the future (Restoration).

Facing unrealized hope in my life has taught me that the only source of all my hope is found in Jesus. He alone can fulfill our eternal hope and expectation for life and salvation. He has promised to give us a living hope...and that kind of hope will never be disappointed.