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Lean Back ~ Amanda Cooke & Chandler Moore | Maverick
City Worship
When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw
him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother
would not have died.” ~ John 11:32 NIV
We've all experienced disappointment at some point
in our lives. During one of our virtual group meetings, our leader asked us to
speak on a disappointment, if we were comfortable. I shared the story of finding
out that our second baby – which we thought was a boy, the son God said we’d
have – was a little girl. My disappointment cut deep that day.
I’m certain this is similar to how Martha and Mary felt after
their brother died. As Mary wept at Jesus’ feet, her disappointment and
betrayal flooded to the surface. Mary believed Jesus was able to do the miracle
of healing Lazarus when he was sick. But Jesus didn’t come through when and how
she’d hoped. When God doesn’t come through for us as we’d like, we’re often
left with feelings of disappointment and betrayal. It’s what we do with our
feelings that matters. A friend encouraged me to share my raw and honest feelings
with God. She said He was big enough to handle it.
It was over six years ago when we learned our second baby
was a girl. Taking my friend’s advice, I took my hurting heart to God and asked
Him to tell me about our little girl and what to name her. He whispered, “Elizabeth.”
I began to cry the tears of a daughter who’d been tenderly touched by her
loving Father when I read the meaning of her name. Elizabeth means, “Fullness
or abundance of God,” a true reflection of how He filled our lives with her.
If you’re feeling disappointment or betrayal by God
because He didn’t come through in the way or timing you hoped, don’t let it
cause a rift between you. Instead, take your raw and honest feeling to Him. Not
only is He big enough to handle it, He longs to keep those lines of
communication open, so that you’ll hear and feel Him comforting you, the child
He loves.
©Heather Potts 2020
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Showing posts with label Disappointment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Disappointment. Show all posts
Friday, May 8, 2020
Disappointment
Monday, December 16, 2019
My Expectation
The Prayer ~ Danny Gokey & Natalie Grant
Truly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes
my salvation…My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my expectation is from
Him. ~ Psalms 62:1, 5 NKJV
It wasn't on the bookshelf or on the dresser. Disappointment
set in when I couldn't find my camera, which I wanted for the girls' Christmas
concert. Our phones, for all their "smartness," can't see anything
but the glare of stage lights.
"Skating with Santa" had been on the calendar
for weeks. Hours before, however, I realized Brad wasn't coming with us. Though
it wasn't his fault, I was disappointed when, due to an allergic reaction, Brad
needed to stay home.
Have you ever felt disappointed? Sure, you have; it's
part of human nature. Disappointment occurs when expectations aren't met. I
expected to find my camera and for the four of us to go skating, together. When
those things didn't happen, I had unmet expectations. In the grand scheme,
these are little things, but, when not addressed, they can become huge
problems.
Psalm 62:1 shares the trusting and restful condition of
my soul, while Psalm 62:5 is a statement to my soul, to rest and wait
on the Lord. With the Christmas season in full swing, what is the condition of
your soul? Are you full of trust, rest, and peace, or are you in need of a good
measure? If you're in need, you're not alone. Many of us get caught up in expectations,
typically regarding others, and are disappointed because we looked to the wrong
things.
It's time to shift our focus. We can't expect people and
things to fill us. Instead, we must place our expectations on Jesus and focus
on the wonderful, beautiful miracle we celebrate this time, each year. When our
expectations are in and from Him, they'll never be unmet.
©Heather Potts 2019
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