6 Reasons to Be Thankful for Hopes Deferred

Why can we be thankful for hopes deferred?

Here is a sneak peek of my guest post for COMPEL Training Blog about how to be thankful for the waiting in our writing journey.

I have always admired cypresses. Their shape, like a finger reaching to the sky, resonates with the audacity of the dreams I have. These evergreens, sturdy trees remind me it takes courage to reach to the stars. As it takes perseverance, and strength to keep open our hearts and cling to our God-given dreams, despite disappointments and setbacks. 

It takes perseverance, and strength to keep open our hearts and cling to our God-given dreams, despite disappointments and setbacks. #dreams #encouragement Share on X

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Thankful for Hopes Deferred

Friend, we all will have disappointments and heartaches on our writing journey. Rejections, they will keep coming. Opportunities that have passed us, there will be many of them. Doors shut, we will continue to encounter. They are simply a necessary, vital part of our journeys, because the road to victory and longings fulfilled lies through, not around the heartsickness of hopes deferred.  

But how can we process our hopes deferred and still be thankful for the journey?

The Powerful Tool of Journaling

Journaling is a powerful tool in a writer’s arsenal for processing disappointments and tending to the heart. When we set time aside to sit down and record our intimate thoughts and feelings, allowing God to speak to our pain, we are on the best way to process the pain and integrate it into our life and writing.

When we set time aside to sit down and record our intimate thoughts and feelings, allowing God to speak to our pain, we are on the best way to process the pain and integrate it into our life and writing. #writing #faith #encouragement Share on X

I love the early mornings when I sit down with my journal and the Bible beside me, inhaling the invigorating aroma of my first coffee cup. So I put pen to paper and start giving shape to the pain inside, so it can be materialized before I can release it. I name it for what it is to me: a bitter disappointment, a major or minor setback, an unpleasant surprise, a rejection, a missed opportunity, a failure. I tell God and my journal how this makes me feel. And then I offer it to God with thanksgiving.

I need to admit thanksgiving is the most challenging part. But when I allow the time for God to speak His truths to me and adjust my perspective, I realize I have many reasons to be grateful.

Read the rest of the post to find out the 6 reasons to be thankful for hope deferred at COMPEL Training Blog and be strengthened and encouraged.

More Encouragement for Writers and Creatives

If you need inspiration and encouragement as a writer and creative, I can recommend these selected books on the writing life and creativity. Check them out.

The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield

The Practice: Shipping Creative Work by Seth Godin

Do Your Art: A Manifesto on Rejecting Apathy to Bring Your Best to the World by Chad R. Allen  

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott

Real Artists Don’t Starve: Timeless Strategies for Thriving in the New Creative Age by Jeff Goins

The Accidental Creative: How to Be Brilliant at a Moment’s Notice by Todd Henry

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert

A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life by Brian Grazer

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Your Turn

How do you process your hope deferred as a writer and creative? Share in the comments and on social media if you found this article helpful. Thank you!

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12 Replies to “6 Reasons to Be Thankful for Hopes Deferred”

  1. Journaling sure is powerful. I do best in the early morning when all is still and quiet. This was such a blessing for me to read today.
    Visiting from Blogger Voices Network. Blessings and Merry Christmas to you and your family.

  2. This is a wonderful reminder for me today. I feel like there have been many deferred hopes throughout the past year. But God is in control. I’m soaking in your words today, sweet friend. Hugs!

    1. Thanks so much, my dear friend! Yes, God is in control! I am happy that this post encouraged you. Sending Christmas blessings and hugs to you!

    1. Thanks so much, Holly! You are right: many things may happen to us, but what we think and how we react is what matters. Christmas blessings to you!

    1. Thanks, Sarah! Yes, I found journaling very helpful to express my emotions and thoughts. Also often it helps me generate ideas for my writing.

  3. I like your idea about shifting perspective. Offering disappointments to God with thanksgiving definitely changes the way something is viewed. It’s a good way to look for an opportunity to grow. Thanks for the post about being thankful for hopes deferred.

    1. Thanks so much, Lisa! Yes, shifting perspective and choosing to view our situations through the lenses of thankfulness gives us the possibility to grow and experience peace.

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