I was once playing a round of golf by myself on a mostly deserted course and lofted what I thought was a beautiful shot over a hill and toward the green. But when I reached the crest of the hill, my ball was nowhere in sight—not on the green, not near it, not anywhere I could see. So I looked around for 20 minutes in the woods just beyond the green, in any hint of tall grass I could see, and still . . . nothing. Finally I gave up and moved to the next tee.
Later that night it dawned on me that there was one place I hadn’t looked: in the hole. I had hoped for a great shot, but assumed it wasn’t that great. By default, I ruled out the best possibility.
The human heart often does that, but it’s contrary to biblical hope. Biblical hope looks forward to the best possibility, no matter how good it happens to be. While a jaded world tells us, “If it’s too good to be true, it probably is,” the gospel tells us, “If it’s too good to be true, it’s from God—and probably even better than you thought.” Yes, the hopes of this world will disappoint us. But the hopes of the gospel? Never.
Let your heart be ruled by hope. Look in the least likely places for evidence of God’s goodness—the holes in the middle of the green. Never assume disappointment. It happens, but that isn’t God’s theme for your life. He will spread his gifts throughout your life in the least likely places, and they will overshadow your disappointments in time.
