An Appointment With Disappointment
A new season is here! After a long period of shorter days and cooler air, it’s hard to believe the bite of Winter has loosened its gnaw on us. It’s been a good run, but we look forward to a new season, and the new opportunities God has in store.
With that being said, much like the anticipation of sunshine and green grass, we can sometimes become disappointed in the weather if it’s not in sync with the season it’s supposed to be, and the characteristics it should ensue. For instance, with Spring upon us, we may still feel some frigid temperatures or some cloudy days regardless of what the calendar says. This can lead us to disappointment, especially if we have eagerly based our plans on the arrival of this specific moment.
There is a connection to this analogy in our own lives. We all face different types of disappointment at one time or another. Maybe it’s a friend who promised you something and didn’t come through at the right time. Maybe it’s a future you had planned in a career that just doesn’t seem feasible anymore. Or perhaps you find yourself in a place where you are asking questions like,
“Okay, what do I do now?”
Regardless of the situation, this delay of desired outcome leads to disappointment as the common denominator. If we do not deal with it right away, it can place us in a dangerous situation where we become disappointed with God and act out in sheer anger towards everyone and everything around us.
If you are in a place where you’ve been crushed by unfulfilled expectations, or believe your plans have become out of sync with optimism, God wants to give you a new perspective. He is asking us to look at the process. He is saying,
“Don’t look at the people around you, the future ahead of you, or the scenario surrounding you. Look at Me.”
Disappointment only comes in when we have walked out on our confidence in Christ, and have placed our trust in ourselves. When this happens, we will always be disappointed. After all, how can we be disappointed when God is always for us?
The Bible says,
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope,” Jeremiah 29:11.
There is a strong element of trust that the Lord is helping us grow up into. We need to ask ourselves,
“Even if life doesn’t go as planned, is Jesus still enough to fulfill my joy?”
Will He be enough if we don’t get promoted at work?
Will He be enough if He is asking us to lay down our own dreams?
Will He be enough if He is asking us to take up our cross and follow Him?
Our hearts’ intentions and motives are the only mode of measurement to truly satisfy these questions. How can we give disappointment space in our lives if Christ is the forefront of our hearts’ desires? Disappointment doesn’t stand a chance!
This leads us to one final message to conclude; If life hasn’t gone as planned and has let you down, remember the One who is always lifting you up.
And so, we leave you with this Word,
“We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, we are not destroyed,” (2 Corinthians 4:11).
