I lived many years with circumstantial hope. Of course, I didn’t call it that; I referred to it as God being unfair to me. I know I was mad, and it was God I was mad at. My anger came from my plans being conditional. In other words, if I wanted to get to “C,” I knew I had to do “A” and “B” first. Then, I would get the results I wanted. Or so I thought. Because of this perspective, many years were spent getting my “hope meter” high, based on conditional plans, only to hit rock bottom lows repeatedly. It wasn’t because of the world’s unfairness but because of my choice to try to be strong, independent, and in control of my life.

 When I accepted the salvation of Jesus when I was 13 years old, I apparently walked the aisle to that all too familiar hymn, “I Surrender Some” (instead of “I Surrender All”). YIKES! You see, when you accept Jesus, He leads your life. Trust me, you want Him to lead because His ways are better than ours. God knows what will fulfill us, bring complete satisfaction and significance, and will glorify Him in the process. However, we must let Him lead. Otherwise, we become a circumstantial hope mountain climber.

When you live as a circumstantial hope mountain climber, you might make godly plans but not follow God’s plans. You put your hope in things that don’t last or are just as broken as you are. I have been on the top of a mountain built on circumstantial hope and fallen. And trust me, it hurts when you hit the ground. But worse, I would dust myself off and give myself a pep talk, only to climb up the next circumstantial hope mountain and fall again.

How many times must we hit bottom before putting our hope in our Creator, Way Maker, Peace Giver, and Life Sustainer?

Losses, disappointments, discontents, and death of dreams are real mountains to climb. So, how do we turn these mountains of sorrow into mountains of hope? We don’t. But Jesus does! As the Hope Giver, Jesus wants us, through our tears, heartbreaks, and pain, to let Him lead us over these mountains.

And how do we let God lead? Surrender! Surrender All to Him—the results; “Your hope will overflow by the power of the Holy Spirit.” No more circumstantial hope mountains to climb.

I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much joy and peace while you trust in him. Then your hope will overflow by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13