Where Do You Find Your Hope?

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Posted by: Kathy from Mornings | Monday, December 1st, 2025 (12:00am)

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.—Proverbs 13:12

Hope. That might be my favorite word. There is so much possibility in it. Yet, while hope is a word full of such promise, it only finds its true meaning through Jesus. 

Remember sea monkeys? (I know, that came out of left field, stay with me here.) Well, when I was a kid, we had this catalog with all sorts of cool novelty items among which were sea monkeys. They were advertised to look like all you had to do was add these little seeds (the eggs, I guess) to water, and they would magically grow into a whole colony of people-like organisms that resembled a mix of seahorses and mermaids. You could even train them…according to the ad. Well, I decided to buy some. This was in the pre-Amazon era, so I had to cut out the ad, put it in an envelope along with my money, and mail the order in. Then, I had to wait for it to arrive (I know, how did we survive back then?). I waited and waited…and waited. It got to the point where I had forgotten I had ordered them at all.   

Then the day came when my magical sea monkeys arrived. The picture on the package was so promising. They were going to be my own little kingdom of highly intelligent creatures to develop and cultivate. I followed the directions exactly according to the instructions on the little packet. And you’ll never guess what happened. I had to wait...again. Finally, one day the little speck of a seed started to look like...a piece of fuzz. Unfortunately, this was the extent of their growth. All that waiting, wishing, and hoping was for nothing. I was so disappointed.   

Our hearts are made to hope. We all have it; a longing or a void that desires to be filled. God made us that way. Seeing a hope fulfilled is wonderful.  It builds our faith and renews what can become a weary heart. Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” God receives so much glory and the heavens rejoice when a good earthly hope comes to fruition.   

However, we also know that hope in worldly things can often end in disappointment. Like my sea monkeys, the outcome may be different than what we anticipated. But no matter how many times our expectations may lead to discouragement or sorrow, we can always anchor our hope in knowing that God has, is, and will continue to redeem all things, including us, and the endless longing that exists in our hearts. And that redemption entered the world in the most unexpected way: in a tiny baby boy named Jesus.

God sent His beloved son, Jesus, to come to earth to free people from sin’s bondage; to fill a void that exists in everyone of our hearts. He is the only hope that will fully satisfy our wanting souls. He came, he lived a perfect life, he was unjustly crucified a for all mankind, and then he miraculously rose from the grave conquering death so that we could live on this side of heaven with the hope that he is using all things—even our “sea monkeys”—to fulfill the purpose of his redemption plan while we wait with eager anticipation to be with Jesus face to face for eternity. 

Do you have an emptiness that you are struggling to fill on your own? If you find you have tried everything and nothing has satisfied that longing in you, I encourage you to call out to Jesus.  Ask Him into your life and into your heart. He is definitely worth waiting and hoping for! 

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