When You Don’t Get What You Hoped For

Regrets about the past are not uncommon — especially when our hopes and expectations did not come through here in this life. Sure, you love God with all your heart, but there is this gnawing feeling of loss as you have followed Christ.
What did you give up to follow Jesus? Did you sacrifice much? Do you often think of what you left behind? Was the sacrifice worth it?
Now, was it really a sacrifice? That depends on what you’ve been promised. Really, it depends on your expectations. The “heroes” of faith mentioned in Hebrews 11 were looking forward to something beyond this life. They didn’t get much in this life. In fact, they surely got a raw deal in life and finished off their lives in horrendous death experiences.
But their expectations were promises much beyond this life. Those expectations drove them to live a life of contentment in the mindset of utter turmoil and pain. The raw deal they get in this life was not at all an issue for them as they were looking forward to a glorious future beyond this life.
Yes, Jesus did promises us some things in this life, but much more in the life to come. We need to shift our focus. Once that focus is shifted, we can begin to live this life with more freedom and satisfaction than you’ve ever imagined.
Your Turn
Join the discussion and add your thoughts. What have you learned?
Please share briefly in the comments section on the website.
—————
* If you enjoyed reading this post, please share it with others by using the buttons below.
* Book recommendations on various topics I write on are available at my Resources Page.
* For a list of books that I’ve recently read, here is my Reading List.