Expectations and Disappointments

The most fascinating book I have ever read is the bible – not because of its vast array of stories which are educative but its promises which appears to conflict with our realities. In proverbs 23: 17-18, it reads; «Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the Lord all day long. For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off». There are so many other verses in the same book of proverbs that asserts the same promises e.g. the hope of the righteous shall be full of gladness (Pr. 10: 28).

It's kind of funny that one of the most difficult things for Christians to handle is disappointment which is believed to clash with expectation but before I delve deeper into this topic, I would love to differentiate the difference between a Christian and a Righteous man. I believe a proper distinction would save a lot of Christian the headache of depression that is associated with disappointments. A Christian is someone who identifies himself with Jesus tenets and culture while a Righteous man is one who obeys the voice of the Lord (the voice here can depict characteristics like promptings, knowing, peace, etc).

This is one level of conflict that Christians face and this creates a struggle in their faith walk. The promise in the first paragraph is for the Righteous man not the Christian. If you are disappointed at any particular thing, look at the situation squarely; «was this really God's inspired?» Well, some can claim they don't even know how to hear from God – well, the truth is that those that hear from God and are truly convicted, learnt to do this through use and exercise to get to the maturity state they enjoy. However, there are situations where one is convicted and the reality he faces appears overwhelming.

Hey! Don't fret. I would tell you the story of a man named Moses. According to the bible, he spoke with God after experiencing an «unconsumable» burning tree. To show him that he was not dreaming or seeing a vision, God showed him signs while talking to him – turned his stick to serpent and back to stick and transformed his hand to leprous hand and back to his normal hand. Despite this wholesome experience, he faced stiff opposition and disappointments on his «sent» mission to free the Israelites from Egyptians. Well, your righteous status does not free you from disappointments.

Disappointments are expected to be viewed from the perspective of expectation – the war is a bigger picture to the battle. The chess game depicts the true picture of reality – it does not matter the amount of your pun or royal emissaries that are killed as long as the King is not «check mated», the war is still alive and you have the window of opportunity to win it. The bible promises that you would win the war not the battles – the defeated battles if learnt from, prepare you to win the war. Disappointment reveals your «unpreparedness» not your destiny. Have a lovely week!

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