Pursing a Hope that Doesn’t Disappoint
I want to help you pursue a hope that doesn’t disappoint.
I used to think that being a faithful Christian meant always responding with joy when presented with sorrow and choosing to praise instead of lament. But there comes a point in your journey where you realize that life rarely hands you pure, happily-ever-after endings. Instead, you get joy and sorrow—rejoicing and mourning—all shaken up like a fizzing bottle of Coke spilling sticky into your cupped hands.
For believers, sorrow and joy are two overlapping, coexisting realities. It’s not progressing from sorrow to joy; it’s both/ and. And until Jesus returns, dwelling in this confusing in-between space is where we find ourselves and where transformation most often takes place.
I don’t know if you’ve come here exhausted from grief or with an unshakeable hope. You could be depressed, numb, and questioning everything you thought you knew about God, or currently experiencing peace and confidence in the God who holds you. Chances are, you’re probably a mixture. I know I am.
I’m not an expert on loss, and I don’t profess to have all the answers. But this I know—even when God feels far from you, when you can’t see his goodness or hear his guiding voice, he is still present with you. God isn’t inviting you to paste on a fake smile and pretend everything is okay. He’s inviting you to lean in and honestly wrestle with your sorrow, questions, doubts, frustrations, and even with himself. It’s my prayer that in the journey of pursuing and wrestling with God, that you more fully come to see God as he truly is—the Hope that doesn’t disappoint.
Journeying with you,
Author. Shepherd. Teacher. Hope Holder.
Hi, y’all. I’m Tiffany.
I’m a native Texan, an ordained minister, and a trusted shepherd with over a decade of ministry experience. I served as both women’s pastor and marriage and care director at Irving Bible Church in Dallas, Texas, and currently disciple students as a fourth grade teacher in Austin, Texas. I have a deep desire to see individuals grow in the fullness and joy of Christ.
