Disappointment

Disappointment

“Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

John 11:32 (NLT)

            Disappointment; it’s the cleft between reality and unfulfilled expectations. It’s the letdown we experience in the wake of unexpected and unpleasant events. We tend to live fully believing each day will fall into place as we’d envisioned. When it doesn’t, our minds wrestle with this new reality. Occasionally, our beliefs are shaken to the core, opening the door to disillusionment and doubt.

            So we struggle to find a cause and, failing that, we place the blame on self, someone else, or even God. “If only” triggers the conviction that there is a direct correlation between someone’s actions (ours, others, or God's) or lack of action and our current circumstance. Because any other explanation just doesn’t seem to make sense.

            Mary and Martha fell prey to that faulty supposition. They had sent word to Jesus that their beloved brother Lazarus was deathly ill. Yet Jesus didn’t arrive in time – or so they thought. “If only you had been here,” they both insisted. Blinded by their earthly expectations, they couldn’t come to grips with their situation.

            I frequently see myself in Mary and Martha’s shoes – Lord, if only you had – failing to see the greater picture, reluctant to accept my circumstances as God’s better plan. Yet in my weakness and human frailty, God whispers words of comfort; “this happened for a purpose. That purpose is that others might see and believe and that God’s glory be manifested through this difficulty. In other words, I have a reason and a plan for this trial. Trust me and you will see. Maybe not here on earth, but for sure in eternity.”