Disappointment part 4
Life happens. Every single day. In this world, you will have tribulations. Things don't go our way. And we can either let that wreck us... or we can rise above it. We can get frustrated and bang our head against the wall trying to make things go our way... or we can have peace. We can try to overcome... or we can understand that we HAVE overcome in Jesus... because He HAS overcome. Being an overcomer doesn't mean we CAN overcome. Its means we HAVE. The cross was over 2,000 years ago. That's where Jesus fought the war to end all wars. Fought it, and won it, and put an end to war. That's why there's only fight that's really spoken of in the New Testament: The good fight of faith. Laying hold of eternal life. Fighting FOR something, not against anything. Having faith in God. Faith in love. Knowing that even when disappointment comes... we're going to be ok. We don't have to let things get to us. Or, more importantly, INTO us. "What's gotten into you?" That's what Jesus asked Peter when the man was walking on water and then started to sink. He let the storm that was going on around him get into him. He lost sight of what was important. We spend so much time focusing on the problem. When we DO get disappointed, we dwell on it. We make mountains out of mole hills. Instead of letting things go, we hold on to them. Bitterness, resentment. And we take everything so personally. I believe most of the time people are FOR themselves, not necessarily AGAINST us. So don't take things personally, even if they are. People are gonna do what they're gonna do. And if we let every little slight--real or imagined--wreck us... we'll be a wreck. "Check yourself before you wreck yourself." For real though. One day at Bible college I got some great advice from my teacher (who is also my stepmom). She said, "If you're not going to be mad about this a year from now, is it really worth being mad about at all?" But we get mad and lash out at each other--and, possibly even worse than that, at ourselves--at every opportunity. This is already a battle I'm fighting with my seven year old son. He's SO hard on himself. "Logan, if anybody needs to punish you... I'll do it. Now go play." He's never a disappoinment to me, but he disappoints himself almost on the daily. So I'm trying to teach him: Life happens. We make mistakes. But it doesn't have to be a snowball rolling downhill. It doesn't have to feed on itself and grow and grown until its too big to do anything with. We can just lay aside the sin and the weight that so easily besets us. The unbelief that trips us up. Just let it go. God loves you. No matter what. He IS love. There's nothing else He can do. In order for the God who is love to stop loving you... He'd have to stop being God. He'd have to deny Himself. Reject His entire nature. And even if He COULD do that, He wouldn't. So stop trying to earn something you already have. Something that can't be earned. Because that WILL set you up for disappointment. Stop being so hard on yourself. Life happens. Keep on keeping on. Let people help you along. Let Jesus keep you from falling. Rest in His loving arms. Understand that He is NOT disappointed in you, and stop being disappointed in yourself. Then let what's inside come out. Stop being disappointed in others. Let it go, and let it flow...!