I’m disappointed. In people. When they say something or do something. Or they don’t say something or don’t do something. They don’t meet my expectations. And most of the time, I didn’t realize I had those expectations until they aren’t met. People are so disappointing. They can’t read my mind. They don’t know what I want. They don’t know when my feelings get hurt. They don’t know me. And yet they disappoint me.
It hurts when you trust someone and they fail miserably. Their words or acts cross a line that you didn’t know was drawn. But once the line is drawn, it’s obvious that you’re hurt. And now there are feelings to deal with. Emotions are bubbling. Trust is cracked wide open. And now what?
Maybe that person has gone too far. Or not far enough. We thought they liked blue, but instead they love red. We assumed they were a chocolate lover, when all the while they’re craving nachos. We naturally assume that they would always agree with our opinions, when they very much have their own much different opinions. Now the differences are out in the open. What is one to do?
People will disappoint us. They’re human. I’m human. I’m sure I’ve disappointed way too many people. And I’m most likely oblivious to it unless it’s been pointed out to me.
Only God is truly good. Mark 10:18
People. We can’t put our trust and hope in people. We need someone who is more than mere human. We need the One who created humans. We need someone who is bigger and better than us. We need an Almighty God who loves us. Who provides for us. Who leads us in truth. Who says those difficult words to us and performs acts that we don’t understand. But all the while He’s doing it, he knows that in the end it is for our good. He allows things that seem downright unnecessary and awful to impact our comfortable little lives. But he knows that if we just keep our eyes on him, that he is there for us. All the time. Things don’t always have to be pretty or perfect for God to be with us. It doesn’t mean that God isn’t good.
And sometimes those things that God allows disappoint us. Sometimes God disappoints us by not answering that prayer that we knew was just the perfect answer. Or he doesn’t provide that job that would have solved a lot of our problems. Or he doesn’t cure that incurable disease. But that doesn’t mean he’s bad or doesn’t love us. He’s working out everything for our good.
Disappointment is a mean thing. It can eat you alive and turn into bitterness and resentment. It can cause even more disappointment when we can’t find our way out of it.
The thing is. We can’t avoid people. No matter how hard we try, people are everywhere. They’re in public places. They’re at work. They’re at church. They’re in our homes. Oh sure. These past few months, we’ve all been quarantined at home, but people still exist. Through emails and texts. Facetime and Zoom calls. They are still disappointing, even if we’re not together in person.
And we think we can avoid God. But he is still here. He’s all around us. Every day. Oh. We may try to ignore him. We may avoid any type of dealing with him. But guess what. He’s still here. He is always waiting for us to reach out to him. Even in our disappointment. He plans for the best for us. Even when circumstances are so difficult, perhaps our focus needs to shift to God’s goodness despite the tough times. God is always good. Even when life is bad. He is a good, good Father.
Mercy for the Day 