Getting Past The Comma

Proverbs 13:12 says... "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life."
I've often heard this scripture quoted -as if the second half of it doesn't exist. "Hope deferred makes the heart sick." There's a lot of truth to that statement alone. Having no hope can make one lose heart.

But the second half of the scripture is what keeps me going. "...but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life."
The Message translation puts it this way..."Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick, but a sudden good break can turn life around."
Do you feel like you're living -before or after the comma in that statement? The first half might make you feel like -that is all life has to offer...hopelessness. But you've got to get past the comma.

Amy Grant has a song that says "Life is a curious thing." It talks about a man who was down on his luck, living in poverty. He went to Hollywood, made a movie, and now he's a millionaire. Another verse talks about the girl who was ugly in high school now being on the cover of a Fashion Magazine. It makes me think of the caterpillar turning into the beautiful butterfly. You just never know what tomorrow might hold.
When I was a boy, we went to a gold mine and heard a story of a couple of men who dug for the longest time. We walked down that cave and it was huge. But they lost hope and gave up. Along came some other guys and three feet later they struck gold.
Don't give up.
I love it that Jesus surprised His followers. They thought it was all over. He was dead. But that was just the beginning of the story. God must like to surprise us. We've just got to get past the comma.