DISAPPOINTMENT

DISAPPOINTMENT

You’ve seen the look on a kid’s face at Christmas when they open the gift they are sure is the action hero they wanted and find it is a clever little figure that teaches math.   Maybe you’ve even been that kid.  Either way, almost no one has failed to be bitterly disappointed at some time during his or her life.  Along with grief, this pain is something we all can relate to. The pain of disappointment can be crushing. The severity usually depends on how high our expectations were. Sometimes we want something so badly we convince ourselves it’s a done deal, making the pain more intense.

In the early years of the Church, the people believed that Jesus’ Second Coming would be in their lifetimes.  St. Paul, for one, spoke of Christ’s return often and advised his followers to be ready.  Jesus did say he would come back but never said exactly when.  “No one but the Father knows the day or the hour”. 

Like most of us, Paul had high expectations of what the future was going to be. Part of that was his need to see Jesus, whom he never met, so he could pour out his heart and present to Him the souls whom he had gathered in His name. But Paul was to be disappointed. As his life was coming to a close, he understood that the dream of the Second Coming was not to be realized in his lifetime.  He did not go into a tailspin and despair, however.  He kept on writing, he kept on praying, he kept on preaching, so great was his love of Christ and his faith that God was always with him. 

If only we could remember not to put our faith in expectation but to put our faith in the knowledge that God is with us more deeply than we can imagine. We build these dreams of the future, conveniently forgetting our past disappointments, and then blame God when things don’t work out.  That isn’t even rational.  The only sure thing is the presence of God. 

This is just one more thing Jesus shared with us.  The betrayal of Judas, especially with the gesture of a kiss, must have been deeply wounding.  When the Jewish leadership presented a united front against him and refused even to listen, his heart must have broken.  What did Jesus do in the face of such pain?  He, like Paul, kept on keepin’ on.  They did what the old song says,

♬ “Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again.” ♬

Disappointments will always be with us, but we will be a lot happier if we temper our expectations, be prepared to accept what comes, and acknowledge He wants only what is best for us. 

May God bless you all as a new season begins.

Carol Lemelin OPA