Disappointment

This past summer, our attention was turned to the Olympics in Beijing. As the Olympics began, one of the stories that caught my interest was that of the American Gymnastics teams. Before the Olympics began, it was announced that two of United States’ key competitors, a man and a woman, relinquished their spots on gymnastics teams. Because of injuries, the man withdrew his spot altogether and the woman withdrew from three out of four events that she was supposed compete in. For both competitors it was heartbreaking. They both had poured out their hearts, souls, and lives to participate in these events. They had labored long and hard and had come so close only to end up with extreme disappointment. I think that most of us have experienced a similar kind of disappointment—where we gave our all only to come away with extreme disappointment.

Jesus also experienced disappointment. Gospel writers, Matthew and Luke, record Jesus saying, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem…how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” (Matthew 23:37-39, Luke 13:34). Can you hear the cry of Jesus’ heart? John writes, “He came to His own and His own received Him not” (John 1:10-11). For Jesus, His disappointment ended with His death.

For the most part, our disappointments are not fatal. But often when we experience such disappointments in life, there is no second chance. We have to swallow it and live with the results. That’s the way life is a lot of times…unless God is involved.

Thus we are reminded that even though Jesus’ death was fatal, it really did not end up in tragedy. The Hebrew writer tells us that even though Jesus scorned its shame, Jesus endured the cross for the joy that was set before Him (Hebrews 12:2). The joy that was set before Him was your salvation and mine.

For centuries mankind has disappointed God. In the Garden, Adam disobeyed God. The people of God’s own choosing refused Him in the Wilderness. The people of God rejected His very own Son, Jesus. But when Jesus went to the cross, was buried and was raised from the dead, God makes one more appeal through Jesus inviting us to, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you...rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-30).

In life, we will experience many heartbreaks and disappointments. But we need to remind ourselves as we seek and strive to enter His Rest—the One who has shown Himself to be faithful throughout the centuries is the same One who claims that He will complete the good work that He began in us (Philippians 1:6). He has never disappointed His people in the past, and it’s a good bet that He won’t disappoint us in the future.