Disappointment sucks!
There, I said it.
There is no way to sugar-coat it. Whether you are the one dishing it out or on the receiving end, disappointment stings. That is why I do everything I possibly can to avoid it. However, there are times when no matter how hard you try to steer your ship around the iceberg, there is just no way to avoid a full-on collision. The crash is painful enough, but then you’re also left with the broken pieces of the ship and that sinking feeling of loss, grief and confusion.
It is not easy when things don’t work out the way we had hoped and planned. Yesterday, as I drove home from a meeting, that sinking feeling hit me out of nowhere and I knew it was time to jump ship and swim to shore. Jesus is always there for me, waiting by the fire. Waiting for me to come sit and talk things through.
As I plopped down on my bed, I opened my Bible in Luke. Chapter 24 to be exact. I spent some time with the disciples. Things did not work out the way they had hoped. Their dreams were crushed along with the One they had put all their hope in. The Messiah that was about to bring peace and freedom, was no longer with them. Or so they thought…
As I read Luke 24 I was with them in that room, as they shared all the rumours they have heard. Could it be true? Is the grave really empty? Did Jesus come back to life? Did He really appear to Mary and Peter? Was it really Him who walked and talked with the two on the road of Emmaus?
Can you imagine the hodgepopdge of simmering emotions that must have been swirling around in that room? The confusing tension between loss and hope? Then suddenly…
Jesus appears and everyone freaks out! If they listened and understood what Jesus had been saying to them all the time, would all of the events that had taken place have been less upsetting and confusing? Probably. But here they are, face to face with Hope. In the middle of their greatest disappointment.
While they were still discussing all of this, Jesus suddenly appeared right in front of their eyes! Startled and terrified, the disciples were convinced they were seeing a ghost. Standing there among them he said, “Be at peace. I am the living God. Don’t be afraid. Why are you so frightened? Don’t let doubt enter your hearts. See my pierced hands and feet. See for yourselves, it is I, standing here alive. Touch me and know that my wounds are real. A spirit does not have a body of flesh and bone as you see that I have.” Then he showed them his pierced hands and feet and let them touch his wounds… Luke 24:36-39 TPT
The dream that was in tatters were in reality, only a door to a new season of grace and power. God did not go back on His promise of salvation and freedom – it just looked a little different than what they had imagined. Hope rose in my heart as Jesus looked at me and said: “Be at peace. I am the living God. Don’t be afraid. The dream is not over, it just looks a little different than what you had imagined.”
But the phrase that jumped out at me and shook me right out of the clutches of disappointment was this:
See for yourselves…
Jesus made Himself available. He invited them to touch Him. To put their hands in His wounds! Man, that is next level intimacy. He invited them into a physical experience of His presence.
When your hopes and dreams don’t manifest as you had hoped, you can tell yourself a million times that God works all things together for your good, and that is true, but God does not just want you to know it – He wants to invite you into a physical experience of His presence in the middle of your disappointment. He wants you to see for yourself!
Beautiful friend, I pray that you will encounter your Saviour in the midst of your trouble. That you will feel the tangible presence of your Redeemer and Deliverer. That you will see for yourself, as He restores every little piece of your broken dream.
The dream is not over.
It just looks a little different than what you imagined.
Heart Print:
Today I hear the Father say:
“Dear One. I want you to see for yourself that I am a GOOD Father. I want you to see for yourself that I am EVERYTHING my Word claims I am. I am your comforter. I am your fortress, your deliverer, your freedom, your strength. I am your fountain of life. The Light by which you see light. Your protection. Your provider. Your greatest promoter. I am your Father. And you are so precious to me.” ❤
Thank you
You are so welcome. So glad that this has blessed you.