Here is the cure for “drooping spirits”:

Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

            But a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. (Proverbs 13:12)

Follow my line of thinking to explain this proverb…

Let’s say it’s mid-February and you don’t live in the beautiful state of South Carolina, how about Illinois (By the way, it is pronounced without sounding out the “s” at the end…I can’t tell you why, that’s just the way it is!). So it’s right in the middle of winter with the wind blowing and even sunny days get no warmer than 15º. Also, you don’t see much of the sun during the day. It’s cold, windy, and white. When you walk on the snow it doesn’t “squish” like soft, warm sand on the beach, it “crunches” because it’s hard-packed and beyond penetration. Finally, you come home and you know that you shoveled the driveway last night but now it’s covered again. Welcome to the north in mid-February.

The above story is not fictional, it is real to life and the names have been omitted to protect their sanity. But the above scene does illustrate the point the proverb is driving home. It goes like this…you long for winter to be over, you can imagine a warm, sunny day on the lake or golf course. You just know the bikes will be able to be used again. But, the waiting is killing you. This is the “hope deferred”…something “long drawn out” part.

Another element to this proverb is the “teaser.” It’s sort of like getting a sunny 40º day only to wake up to six more inches of snow the next morning. The result is that our spirits begin to “droop” or “sag.” It is a common occurrence in life that can be remedied by what the proverb teaches us in the second line.

When what we have longed for and expected to come finally arrives it refreshes us and brings joy into our lives. It is at this point that we breathe a sigh of relief. Why? Because there is no more waiting and all of the uncertainty is gone. It brings peace into our daily grind and helps us cope with the next hope that will be deferred.

We can find many illustrations and applications of this proverb to life…babies take about nine months, weddings never come fast enough for the bride and groom, waiting for test results can be agonizing (whether from the doctor or the teacher), and you can add your own application.

What are you waiting for right now? Over what does God have you in a holding pattern? Is it simple or complex? Remember, God is in control and an answer will come…maybe not today, but eventually it will come.

Grace & Peace,

Scott