Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who hope in me will not be disappointed. Isaiah 49: 23
It was a hot, sunny, summer Sunday and an ice cream was just
what was needed and not just any ice cream but a proper delicious ice cream
cone. So after a quick Google search we found what appeared to be just the
thing – Dawlishious ice cream – straight from a farm of Jersey dairy cows. It
even had the little knife and fork symbol on the map to denote it was an
eatery. Perfect.
The last time we ate ice cream straight from the farm was in
America at Richardson’s Farm and Ice Cream Emporium – a massive establishment
that served cones and sundaes in 30+ flavours from a multitude of serving
hatches.
Now I didn’t expect something quite like that but I did have
in mind a small shop serving ice cream cones with maybe a few tables under
umbrellas to sit and enjoy our treat. Mrs Google guided us to our destination
but when we arrived there was nothing but the farm – no ice cream place. We
turned around and made a second pass and found in the farmyard a garden shed
from which one could purchase tubs of ice cream in a variety of flavours. No
cones, no tables or umbrellas, no one serving just a shed with a freezer and a
phone number for service.
The cup of disappointment was deep – my expectations had far
exceeded the reality.
Unfortunately that can be the case with life. Too often our
expectations, based on previous experiences, far outweigh the reality and set
us up for the fall of disappointment. Of course life’s disappointments come in
far larger measure than my ‘no show’ ice cream parlour. In fact just recently I
have been amazed at how often I expect things to turn out a certain way either
because that is ‘always’ how it happens or because that is what happened last
time and then find that something completely different occurs.
So how do we cope with life’s disappointments especially the
hard ones, the big ones, the life changing ones? How do we deal when a spouse
walks out of a marriage that we had such high hopes for or a child who made a
commitment to the Lord when younger has now turned their back on God and is not
just into a secular life but one dominated by alcohol or drugs? Or in my case
when Church and Church leaders have behaved or done things that are not what
would expect from Christians?
Unfortunately, over many years, I have been part of churches
where leaders and other Christians have behaved in such ungodly ways. I have
seen weak leaders overcome by sin and selfish ambition struggling with
addictions and the devil’s favourite traps of fame, fortune and females. How do
we deal with these situations?
Personally I was so disappointed, hope had disappeared and I
was overwhelmed by the great British disease of cynicism. I wasn’t looking for
perfection but I did expect leaders of integrity who would honestly seek God
and try to the best of their ability to lead their churches into God’s plans
and purposes. Churches filled with the power of the Spirit, walking in the
fruit and gifts of the Spirit – not churches full of lies, self-ambition and
naked sin.
I was sitting in a huge pit of disappointment struggling
with hopelessness and a strong desire to give up. I expect we can all identify
with this in our own disappointments. BUT God – he didn’t want me to give up,
he still had plans and purposes for my life so as I prayed and wept over the
frustration and disillusionment I found he is indeed the God of all hope and to
him I turned.
Gradually he guided me to people of wise counsel, some
encouraging podcasts and messages on the internet till I was ready to make the
decision to not dwell in my pit but choose to trust God and let him lift me up
on wings like eagles. I turned a corner and where I had found situations almost
impossible to engage with I now found things shifting. The situation hadn’t
changed – I had.
Life is full of disappointments – big and very small. We can blame these circumstances for our
cynicism and hopelessness or we can turn to our God of all hope to heal our
wounded hearts and show us the way out – upwards and onwards.
I truly pray you will find God in the midst of your
disappointments to be the God of hope whose love and encouragement will spur
you on to not give up, not give in:
And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For
the joy that was set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and
sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured
such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12: 1 – 3
