I will never fail you.
I will never abandon you.
(Hebrews: 13:5 HCSB)
When has someone let you down?
It is bound to happen, right? After all, we are human. We can’t read minds. We can’t be everywhere at once. We can’t wave a magic wand and make everything perfect.
Maybe the person that let you down is a family member. Maybe it was a friend. Maybe it was a co – worker. Maybe it is the church.
Maybe is something that left you wondering about the integrity of the other person. Often times, we put our trust or hope in another person, only to be let down in some way. Something is bound to get in the way, a distraction, a forgotten date, or we are simply overlooked.
Maybe it is something that happened a long time ago and you can’t shake it.
Maybe it something you have become accustomed to, so you have learned not to sweat it, yet deep down, the sting still hurts when memories resurface.
What do you do with these thoughts and feelings? Do you bury them deep inside allowing them to lay dormant, possibly never addressing the pain? Or do you go straight to the person, lay it out on the table and clear the air? We have all been there sometime or another in our life. No one can ever go through life, without feeling the repercussion from being let down in some way.
If we bury our feelings, we tend to let the hurt and pain grow, getting out of hand, thinking we are in control. If we attack the person with all vigor and might, we can make matters worse, by over reacting or possibly over stepping a boundary or two.
It is hard to say for sure, isn’t it? You know yourself better than anyone. So, you probably already know how you would address the situation. So, let me ask another question: How is that working for you?
I wonder, if we tried something different: What if we took it to God first? What if, as soon as we were feeling unease or disturbed, by another person’s actions or response, we went straight to God?
We are never alone. God takes His job seriously. If the matter is big or small, your problem is important to Him. God has promised to never leave you or forsake you. Man might, but God WILL not! If you may need to approach someone for resolution, ask God for wisdom and how to approach the person in which the conflict lies.
So, since we already know disappointment is bound to happen or that we may loose confidence in a person, should we give up? Should we put up wall of defense, so that we are never hurt again? Do we shut down, never trusting anyone enough to let our guard down? It is a fact of life. We will run across disappointment from time to time.
Is it asking too much for someone to follow through with a promise? Is it too much to ask that when person gives his word, he will stick to it?
Absolutely, not.
We should expect that a person remain loyal and true to a promise. However, when that doesn’t happen to our expectation, how do YOU handle it?
Do you forgive? Or do you stew? After all, if we held on to the anger or resentment from every time we may experience disappointment, the bondage would be so tight; we wouldn’t be able to breath. That doesn’t sound fun to me, at all.
For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:14-15
Remember, we are all human. We will be let down from time to time. We will experience a hurt feeling every now and then. We will be disappointed in another person. And yes, the road goes both ways. We will in turn do the same to another. We may forget. We may over look. We may not understand another’s persons needs and not know how to reach them.
What if it seems to happen over and over, especially with the same person? Are we to continue believing in someone that has proven over and over, that promises are easy to break? Ask God how to handle the relationship. Pray for discernment. Pray for wisdom. And pray for that person.
Do you take your disappointments to God? Do you share your feelings with Him? Do you explain your needs to have an understanding ear or a strong shoulder to offer encouragement? Do you ask God to bring you peace?
Life gets complicated. I have often heard this phrase. To have a friend, you must be a friend. Sometimes, that also means forgiving that friend, family, co – worker or the church for not meeting your expectations.
We are instructed that if a brother or sister sins against us, we are to go them privately and try to reconcile.
"If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. Matthew 18: 15.
We often get caught up in our emotions, we forget most importantly that God cares and loves us more than anything, anyone and especially understands us more than we understand ourselves.
Remember that God will never leave you or forsake you. You are never alone. He cares about you and especially wants you to trust in Him. And even the valleys of disappointments, we can always count on the one truth – God.
