Disappointed

Disappointment. We’ve all faced it at some point in our lives. A parent loses a job, someone you love is injured/sick, or your boyfriend deceives you. Most of the time when you are disappointed and heartbroken you want to blame someone for your discomfort. And most of the time that person is God. 

“Is God unfair? Is He unjust, silent, or hidden?” The answer is NO! He may not talk directly to us and give us explantations for why things are happening, but all of the answers we need are in His Word. All we have to do is go look for them. He is there waiting for us to come, find Him, and love Him.

Proverbs 8:17 “I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.” 

In Luke 24:13-35 two of the disciples are leaving the burial of Jesus on the road to Emmaus. Their dreams of Jesus being the one sent to redeem Israel seemed to be beaten and dead, just as He was on the cross. They were brokenhearted, depressed, and extremely disappointed. On their journey they ran into a man but were too disheartened to look up at his face. The man was explaining to them how Israel was going to be redeemed and in the future there would be a new kingdom. The disciples listened to him speak and before they knew it they were at Emmaus. When they got there, the man “took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and began to give it to them.” That’s when the disciples looked up and realized it was Jesus! Jesus was with them the entire time, walking with them through every step of their disappointment. 

It has taken me months to realize my sister’s accident left me mad at God. My heart was aching and longing to understand why it happened to her. Even though I was grateful He saved her life, I was still bitter towards Him. Angry. Disappointed. I felt like God spared her life but then left us all alone to deal with the aftermath. How stupid and ignorant of me! Just like the disciples, I was too dumb to look up and realize that Jesus was right there the ENTIRE time! He was walking with me every step of the way through my heartache. 

Caine puts it in perfect words. “How blinded we become by disappointment! Sometimes, like the disciples, we’re so blinded that we can’t see Jesus walking with us through our heartache, leading us to something better ahead. He wants to show us that God has made a way for us that leads far beyond our disappointment. God has big plans for us--things to do, people to see, places to go. Christ promises us that beyond disappointment, something better awaits us. Some mission God designed for us, custom tailored--something that takes us not on a road to nowhere but to a place where we can feed others just as He has fed us.” 

I've learned there are five steps to overcoming disappointment:

1. The Comfort in the Church: The church is a believer's spiritual home. When your heart is aching, having fellow believers lay a hand on you in prayer is one of the most powerful feelings of a community. The Sunday after my sister’s accident I went to kneel at the altar and was quickly surrounded by my brothers and sisters in Christ giving me unconditional love and prayer.

2. The Power in Worship and Praise: There are two songs that definitely meant something to me during the weeks after Stew’s accident. Without fail I cried (happy tears) when I listened to "Before the Morning" by Josh Wilson. It was such a reminder of the hope and joy we should have in knowing we get to spend eternity in Heaven. 

“Maybe, there are things you can't see / And all those things are happening / To bring a better ending / Some day, some how, you'll see, you'll see / Would dare you, would you dare, to believe, / That you still have a reason to sing, 'cause the pain you've been feeling, / Can't compare to the joy that's coming

Whenever my sister would go to the Med for her dressing changes, the song "Overcomer" by Mandisa, would come on K-Love. It was this song that gave her a boost of encouragement before seeing her doctors.

“You're an overcomer / Stay in the fight ‘til the final round / You're not going under / ‘Cause God is holding you right now / You might be down for a moment / Feeling like it's hopeless / That's when He reminds You / That you're an overcomer” 

3. The Strength in Choosing the Joy of the Lord: Caine says, “He meets at the sad circumstances and walks with us...” That is because He knows that something good lies ahead! Habakkuk 3:17-18 “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

4. The Wisdom of His Word: Everything that God promises’ is in the Word. Revelation 21:4 “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

5. The Love of Family and Friends: Though the accident affected my entire family, my mom’s willingness to stay strong a majority of the time is so relevant to this final point. She put aside her emotions to keep my anxious thoughts under control. She would let me cry to her and vent to her; but at the end of the day, she would always remind me to rejoice and give God all glory and honor and praise, despite our circumstances. Find those people in your life who will let you cry to them but then right after, pick you up and encourage you in your walk with the Lord.

So whatever in your life is disappointing you, don’t be a fool like I was. LOOK UP! Jesus is right there, walking with you, and leading you to the good that lies ahead.