Proverbs 13:12 (NIV)
12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
Proverbs 13:12 (MSG)
12 Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick, but a sudden good break can turn life around.
Proverbs 13:12 (AMP)
12Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life.
Proverbs 13:12 (NLT)
12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.
Proverbs 13:12 (NKJV)
12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.
When I was little, Christmas Eve was the day when anticipation and excitement reached its fever pitch. I can remember going to bed about 6, thinking that if I went to sleep, the night would pass so quickly and, before I would know it, Christmas morning would arrive. Of course, I would lay there for hours while my imagination ran wild, unable to sleep. My mind would race thinking about the things I had asked for; the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and the sheer joy and wonder of the next day. I would also think about all the magical things going on outside the confines of my home in preparation for tomorrow morning.
As most little kids, the night, the dark outside, was kind of scary. Things that go bump in the night lived out there and if it weren’t for our walls and my Mom, who I was sure slept with one eye open until the first ray of light appeared, we were and, particularly, I was sunk. Everything bad, that lurked around out there at night, was scared of my Mom. But, of course, that wasn’t true on Christmas eve. On Christmas eve, the night was transformed all over the world into something extraordinarily wonderful, and magical, and good. It was Narnia out there and mystical beings and creatures we’re moving among the stars, swooping into the neighborhoods creating a tangible wonderland of happiness and longings fulfilled. The pure adventurous thought of it all was transformational. I laid there knowing that if I could just fall asleep, in a flash I would wake up to the evidence of all the glorious things that had been going on in the night. It wasn’t just the gifts. It was the atmosphere. It was simply, always, the best day ever and I knew it would change my life.
What happened to us all. Growing up kills a lot of things. Hopes differed in a fallen world, in the hearts of fallen people, somehow opens the door to all the scary things that even Mom can’t keep away anymore. I didn’t even believe in magic and goodness anymore.
Before I met Christ, really met Him, I thought hope had gone forever and that I would have to live with the scary stuff forever. But, having met Him, hope has been restored. He is even better than Mom about intimidating the scary stuff. He chased it all away; even the scary stuff that had worked its way inside of me. I had received in Him the greatest, most life changing gift I had ever received. It’s was beyond anything I had ever imagined. Hope was restored and I suddenly realized that everyday had become like Christmas Eve, anticipating the next day In Christ. I anticipated the adventure; the wonder, the joy, and the sheer magic of it all. It would be, because of Him, simply the best day ever.
Oh yeah, when I go to sleep at night, I know that the one who doesn’t slumber or sleep is moving along with His mystical creatures, moving among the stars, and swooping into my neighborhood changing my world once again into a world of hopes and dreams fulfilled. Have a great day.