Wishes are something I find fascinating. They have found a place in the life of every person I have ever met.
It seems we all wish for something. Over time our wishes might change, but sometimes they stay the same.
Wishes are something I learned about early in my life. As a young boy I vividly remember being told to make a wish before I blew out the candles on my birthday cake. I don’t necessarily remember the wishes I made, but I am certain they were for some toy I wanted.
As I grew older, I no longer made birthday wishes, but I still found myself wishing for things. I remember wishing I didn’t have to take a test. I think I wished for that just about every time I took a test until I went to college. I think the only reason I quit wishing for no tests is that wish never came to be. I just simply gave up.
There are also times in our life when we wish for less selfish things, like wishing a friend or a family member didn’t have to experience some pain or tragedy. We might wish people would experience more joy or that there was less division in our nation.
If you could wish for something now, what would it be? We might wish for something personal like those birthday wishes we made as children. We might wish for something world-changing that everyone could enjoy like world peace.
Wishes are a lot of fun to think about, but did you know that there is something way better than a wish? Hope! Can you remember the last thing you hoped for?
It is true wishing and hoping are very different things. When we hope for something, we are certain it will happen, but uncertain of the timing. When we wish for something, we want it to happen, but aren’t certain it will.
I never did get those latest and greatest toys I wished for as a child, and I had to take every test every teacher ever wanted to give me.
Part of being a follower of Jesus is living with hope. Hope does not disappoint us when we place our hope in Christ Jesus. As Christians we know that peace is something we don’t have to wish for, but we hope for. As Christians we place our hope in the promise of Jesus’ return. We know he is coming back; we are simply uncertain of the timing.
Living a life filled with hope empowers us to be confident in times of uncertainty. If you find yourself tired of wishing and being disappointed, then I want to invite you to live in hope. Ask Jesus to become your focus and surrender your heart and life to him.
If you would like to talk to someone, feel free to contact any of the pastors of the Christian churches spread throughout Rock County.