Proverb 13:12 says,
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”
I wonder if some people have grown weary and “heart sick” because they have not tapped into what their desires truly are. It may seem easier to ‘want nothing’. I had someone tell me, “If I truly connect to my desires I’m just setting myself up for disappointment”. For some people, disappointment....the potential ‘side-effect’ of hope…although not life threatening…seems too frightening!
Even though living a life of mediocrity may feel less risky, the people choosing this path often wonder why they dread getting out of bed in the morning. I’ve heard a rut defined as, “a coffin with the ends knocked off”. No wonder depression seems epidemic!
Proverbs implies that in order to connect to the "tree of life" we must first specify what we long for. For how can we even begin to fulfill a longing we have not identified? In order for a tree to have life, it requires certain prerequisites…the right soil, water, and light…to name a few. Similarly, we need to make sure the right conditions (actions) are set in motion so that our desires can be nurtured into fruition.
I want to invite you to take the time to identify what longings you would like fulfilled this year. It may cost you something. But it’s difficult to put a price on attaining this “tree of life”! That kind of tree would be not only for your benefit....imagine that your "tree of life" could become a place of life for other weary travelers needing encouragement!
My prayer is that God heals the place in your heart where you have dared to hope and it has been deferred… That fear of disappointment would not stop you from telling Him what you long for…
And that this is the year your “tree of life” takes root and grows!
Until next time,
Blessings, Deb