Get Your Hopes Up: how to celebrate more and beat your fear of disappointment

We had worked for months. We gathered for meetings every two weeks and sometimes every week, staying late into the night as we considered candidates for the open position at our church. Our work was hard, with long hours, sometimes conflict and debate. And, like all committees at churches, it was voluntary.

But at last, we found the candidate we were looking for, the one our entire committee believed was God’s intended person to fill the position.

I was thrilled, relieved, and ecstatic.

But the majority of the rest of the team wasn’t. Don’t get me wrong, the other members were just as excited about the candidate himself. Yet, when I tried to share the joy of the moment with them, I was met with hesitation, grim faces, and serious tones. I was met with something I know very well: fear.

You see, the candidate hadn’t yet met with our church’s Elders to be approved.

Once that happened and a job offer was extended, I thought the other team members would be happy. After all, some of them had searched for a person to fill this position much longer than I had.

But they weren’t.

You see, we hadn’t yet met with the church to vote on the candidate.

Done, vote passed.

You see, he hadn’t been approved by the denomination yet.

Perhaps when that happens and all is over, when the candidate signs on the dotted line, the denomination approves, and he begins work at our church, the rejoicing can begin.

Or will there be another fear to prevent the celebration then? After all, he could leave. He could become ill or turn out to not fulfill the job as well as expected. There’s always another grim possibility around the corner that can easily kill hope.

And that’s what I realized was the real fear in control of this situation—they were afraid to get their hopes up.

But this isn’t just a problem for my fellow committee members, and it certainly isn’t a problem that I’m without. When I realized what was at the root of their hesitation to adopt a positive outlook on the hiring process of this candidate, I recognized the same tendency in myself.

In the situation of this job search, God gave me the gift of a conviction stronger and clearer than any I have ever had. As a result, I wasn’t afraid to get my hopes up at all. In fact, I rode hope high and long because of my confidence that God had chosen that candidate to fill the job.

Usually, though, I join the rest of the crowd in saying, “I don’t want to get my hopes up.” I’m afraid to hope for something good because of the crushing disappointment or other negative results that will occur if the hoped for doesn’t happen.

But did you notice what I said about the situation with the candidate? I wasn’t afraid to hope because I had confidence. In God.

And that’s exactly what Christian hope is all about. That’s the hope we’re told to have, the hope we’re told is our special gift in life as God’s children.

The Apostle Paul prayed for his fellow believers, “having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you” (Eph. 1:18a).

This hope that we are called to have is what we were already given when we first came to Christ—the hope of our redemption and adoption as sons and daughters of God (Rom. 8:23-24). But what if I said the same thing about this eternally essential hope as I say about other circumstances? What if I said, “I don’t want to get my hopes up,” in the face of the hope of salvation that Christ offers?

I would miss out big time. If my refusal to hope in salvation made me reject Christ, I would miss out on eternity with God in heaven and would instead be inviting eternal punishment as my future destiny.

Thankfully, God didn’t let my fear of hope take me away from Him. But what if I still accept Christ’s free gift of salvation, yet constantly resist putting my hope in God and His promises? I would miss out on joy, courage, and peace in this earthly life. Sadly, that’s just what I do.

I don’t want to get my hopes up until I know they won’t be dashed. I don’t want to hope if I’m going to end up hurt or disappointed. But God has something to say about that, too:

Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. – Romans 8:24b-25

God doesn’t want us to wait until the good thing happens to hope for it. We aren’t supposed to wait to reach glory in heaven to hope for that destiny. No, we are to have confidence now that we will someday be with Christ in perfect bliss and that we will spend our eternity in peace, joy, and hope. We’re supposed to “hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope” (Hebrews 3:6b).

That same confident hope we have for our eternity applies to every day of our lives. The same God Who promises us forgiveness and eternal life through Christ, promises that He will bring good out of everything that happens in our lives—past, present, and future. He’s the same God “who richly provides us with everything to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17b).

Can you believe it? God actually wants us to enjoy things! He does give us good things. In fact, everything He gives us will ultimately be used for our good, even if it doesn’t seem good at first (Rom. 8:28).

If you’re like me, and you have a hard time hoping that something good might happen or rejoicing when good does happen because you’re afraid bad news is around the next bend, then you’ll especially like this promise:

…and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. – Romans 5:5

So we can fearlessly get our hopes up. Hope in God will never lead to disappointment or pain. We can trust that He has only good planned for us (Jeremiah 29:11), no matter what happens.

So the next time God gives me a blessing or even the prospect of something good coming in the future, I want to resist my fear of getting my hopes up. Instead, I want to rejoice and let my hopes fly up high. I want to hope without fear, even before I know the end of the story.

Because, you know what? I do know the end of the story. The end of the story is good. It’s perfect. The ending of this story of our hope is the happiest of all endings.

That is our confidence. That is our hope. So go ahead—dare to get your hopes up.

Are you afraid to get your hopes up? Has God ever given you something you dared to hope for? Please share!