According
to Mr. Webster, to disappoint means “to fail to satisfy the hope, desire, or
expectation of.”
We
speak of times of disappointment in sentences which begin with should have or
could have.
I’ve
found disappointment to be one of the most finely honed weapons in the enemy’s
arsenal, because if we’re not watchful, disappointment can lead to a root of
bitterness which can quickly establish itself in our lives. And bitterness is like a cancer,
eating away all that’s good.
When disappointment leaves me protesting, “I didn’t know it was going to
turn out like this,” I have to make a choice not to embrace toxic thoughts and choose to replace those thoughts with the truth of God's word.
I
keep coming back to this quote, “Can it be that, that which seems to oppose the
will of God actually is used of Him to accomplish the will of God? That which
seems evil only seems so because of perspective, the way the eyes see the
shadows. Above the clouds, light never stops shining.” —Ann Voskamp
Faith
only begins to flex its muscles in times when the darkness settles in around
us. In Peterson’s words, faith is “our handle on what we can’t see” (Hebrews
11:5).
Even
in times of great disappointment, through faith, we can fix our eyes on Jesus
and trust He will use whatever situation which left our hopes, desires, and expectations
wanting, will be used by Him for our good and His glory.
“…those
who hope in me will not be disappointed” (Isaiah 49:23).
“We
continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because
we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience
in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God
will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling
shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold
everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!”
(Romans 5:3-5 The Message).
“And
hope does not disappoint us…” (Romans 5:5).