Hope Again

Hi. My name is Brad Leach, and I am a Detroit Lion's fan. I have loved the Lions for 30 years and they have never loved me back. In fact, they have only one playoff victory in the course of my lifetime.

My wife Leah is a Pittsburgh Steeler's fan. She has loved the Steelers for 30 years, and has received much more love in return. In fact, they have rewarded her with more Super Bowl Championships than any other NFL franchise.

The Lions usually lose. The Steelers occasionally lose. But when both of them lose, Leah and I have very different emotional responses. In short, Leah experiences total devastation while I go on with my life without skipping a beat. 

The difference is, of course, expectation. Leah feels disappointed when the Steelers lose because she expects them to win. But I have very little disappointment because I have very low expectations.

So the question is, which is better? To experience the thrill of a Super Bowl Championship one year, followed by the sting of missing the playoffs the next? Or to never feel the thrill or the sting?

Life's disappointments have a way of beating down our expectations. You hope for a relationship to work out, but it falls apart instead. You hope for a job offer to come through, but they never call you back. You hope for your church to grow, but can't seem to gain any traction.

How do you respond after feeling the sting of disappointment again, and again, and again?

Some people choose to play it safe. They stop dating, stop interviewing, and stop praying for growth. Meanwhile, a life without any expectation slowly shuts down their hearts.

Other people choose to risk. They get up and go out again. They dress up and interview again. They pray up and dream for growth again. And hope keeps their hearts alive.

Solomon was right. Hope deferred does make the heart sick. So choose to believe again today. Wake those dreams back up and expect God to do something great in your life.

Comments

[Josh Karrer]

Thanks. I needed to hear that. I haven't forgotten about calling you.

[tina (lepiane) poulsen]

great post (& analogy!) brad. sounds like a mark batterson book to me! maybe just because i've been listening to one recently.

[Monty Galloway]

Good stuff Brad.

[Bob Thomas]

I thought the "sting" of a Steeler loss would be less from 7000 miles away listening on a choppy dial-up internet connection, but the expectation of Greatness stays with you no matter how far away from the source you get.