5 Places NOT To Put Our Hope

5 Places NOT To Place Our Hope:

1. Our accomplishments

Do you find yourself striving to get to the top as fast as you can, only to find yourself exhausted, disappointed, or asking what now?  Maybe you thought, “If only I can get this promotion, THEN my life will be easier.”  If you are placing your hope in this life on your own works, you will be left with a void….no matter how many accolades you accumulate.  Why?  Because the world says its never enough.

Many times in life, I’ve been so focused on the hope of a future accomplishment or recognition, that I lost sight of what was right in front of me.

Proverbs 21:30

“There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord.”

2.   Our relationships

In my early 20s, I used to put so much pressure on myself to find “The One” that I forced myself into a relationship that was not right for me. In my mind, if only I was married, all would be right in the world. My hope was in my future mate, and this is not where God ever wants our hope to be. There is not a single person in this world that was made to make you or me happy. My hope is not to be in relationships that make me happy or fulfilled. That’s not God’s design for us. Our hope is in Him alone.

Psalm 33:20-22

“We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.  In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.  May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put out hope in you.”

3. Our financial status

Money is necessary to meet our needs, but if we are not careful money can be the root of much pain. Money can be used for His glory, or it can cause great devastation. When we put our hope in our finances, we put our hope in something that can change at a moment’s notice.  Take our current pandemic as an example of this. God reminds us that all we have is a gift from Him. It never belonged to us.

Ecclesiastes 5:10

“Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless.”

4.  Our children

I find myself at times living vicariously through our kids. My hope comes through their successes as I feel my parenting status depends on it. Quite honestly, it’s a pressure that is all too real for me. My kids are an extension of me.  And yet God reminds me that they are actually His creation, on loan from Him. Our hope should not be founded in our kids, because they are not our own.  Rather, we should teach them about the true hope found in the Father.

Proverbs 20:7

“The righteous lead blameless lives; blessed are their children after them.”

5.  Health

So often we pray for healing this side of heaven. So many right now are fighting for their lives. Why do we have to endure sickness, a health crisis, or death?  Our hope should not be in our physical bodies because we know those will fail us. However, God promises complete restoration in Him. When sin entered the world, it affected everything….and our physical state was part of the fall. Yet God promises to those who believe to restore us to Him with a new and perfect body. Our hope is not in our worldly bodies.

Philippians 1:20

“I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.”

So where should our hope be?  Simply…In God.  And the hope in God is not an “if” but an “already done” mentality. We already know what our hope in God gets us….an eternal life in Him and complete restoration when Christ comes again.

No longer will there be concerns with accomplishments, relationships, finances, children, or health as all of those concerns will be put to death at His coming.

(Photo cred:  Ron Smith on Unsplash)

“For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?  But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”

Are you patiently waiting for God to show you His Provision in your life?  Don’t give up hope because His hope is an everlasting one….a guarantee.

In Him,

Ashley

“This is the day the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” ~Psalm 118:24