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“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future..” Jeremiah 29:11  (NIV)

When my oldest grandson was four years old, like other little boys his age, his big passion was superheroes. I  wanted to get him something for Christmas he would really like, so I looked at superhero merchandise. I found a set of pajamas with his favorite hero on the front, and a green cape behind, attached at the shoulders like any self-respecting superhero. On Christmas morning, he put on his new jammies and took me out in the backyard, into the Florida sunshine. I didn’t know his world was about to change. So out we went.

He looked up at me and asked, “Which way to Granny and Granddaddy’s house?”  I pointed in the general direction of his great-grandparents. Then my precious grandson took off running and tried to jump into the air.

The next moment is burned into my memory forever. I realized he thought the cape would allow him to fly, and he was going to visit Granny and Granddaddy. When he took that leap, it was as a sweet, innocent little boy expecting to truly fly…but reality came smacking him in the face and a more mature, wiser little boy fell back down. My heart broke as a look of disappointment and realization came across his face. Part of his childhood had just left him.

He took it like a trooper. He straightened himself up and brushed himself off. I hugged him, and we went back in the house together without a word.

Hasn’t that same thing happened to all of us, more than once? You took a ‘leap of faith’ that didn’t work out the way you expected and were forced to face an unpleasant reality. Maybe it was a failed relationship, a failed business, or a thwarted plan for the future. You may have wondered where God was.

I imagine that just as my heart grieved to see my grandson learn he couldn’t fly, the heart of God grieves to see us try something and experience failure. So He gave this promise: “I know the plans I have for you…plans to give you hope and future.” As redeemed children of the living God, we can go through failure, learn its valuable lesson, and go on with sure hope that He has a plan for our future. That was the reason God sent his Son, born in a manger, who died for us, so that we might live a joyous life of hope, even though we occasionally experience failure.

As you reflect on Him this Christmas season, remember to thank Him for that hope, that we can live flawed lives as humans, sometimes experiencing disappointment and failure, but knowing we have the ultimate victory!

“Father, this is the time of year we celebrate the shepherds and angels, Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in the manger. We thank You for that incredible miracle, and for the hope we have in Jesus that touches each of our lives, personally and intimately.”

 For His Glory

 
Cherie Harbridge Williams
TRBC Women’s Life