Laugh Again

"And honors our choice."

HOW TO deal with disappointment. Jesus turned His over to the Father, and the Father strengthened Him (Luke 22:43). In a prayer in Gethsemane, He dedicated Himself to God’s will. He is God, but as a man had to listen to the Spirit, had to trust the Father, for many things He did not yet know. Judas was His disappointment. Though He knew the prophecy of Judas’ fate, staring at it in real life, He didn’t want to go there. Moments away, He’d have to face his betrayal and accept it had happened. There’d be a kiss which would lead to death. Judas’.

Jesus never sinned, not even in thought (2 Corinthians 5:21), so disappointment was not sin. The Truth is God has been disappointed many times. By the behavior of people. And unclean spirits. Yet He has no temptation to sin (James 1:13). We are made like Him, which seems like a backward way to view it. But He gave us emotions, He gave us a mind to think and reason with, not to give us struggles, but wisdom, but communication. Our mind is not a terrible place.

We are not trying to “renew the mind” in order to stop using it. Jesus felt disappointment, as I said, and did not need to renew His.

What does that mean, to “renew the mind”? Well, Romans 12:2 says, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Staring hard at this, first, it means we won’t think like the world and so won’t react like the world. The world being secular society, those without God. And second, the purpose in transforming our thinking is to know the will of God for our lives. BECAUSE when we think like someone empty of God, who does not know God, then we will miss God’s Voice speaking entirely. And God wants to guide us through life every step so that we are always safe, always provided for, always healthy, always wise, always happy.

Disappointment is an opportunity to not be happy and to let that sadness affect our choices. We begin to act on it.

God answers prayer. Always. Yet some people don’t see their prayers answered. We have wrong thinking on this. Our human nature puts the reason on God. Some say we lack faith, as if God is continually measuring it. This is a lie. He has no need to measure faith, trust, patience, love, or any other fruit of His Presence in us. Some say it is because our confession is wrong, and though the confession (what we say) reflects our heart, there is no truth to this either. God isn’t counting up our wrong words, in a tally.

The answer goes to God’s compassion actually. A wise rabbi said, in talking about Israel’s escape from Egypt, that God did not want His people to be slaves. He would not rule them as slaves. This seems simple to grasp, but it’s much broader than that. Because God sent His Son to free us from slavery to sin and death. He does not want us to be slaves either. Why then would He become a cruel master who continually condemned us for every wrong word and action? It is, instead, that He gives us freedom and honors our choice.

He has provided everything we need to be strong mentally, spiritually, and physically. His every promise for our safety and security is in the Word, and He is a Man of His Word. He cannot lie and what He says is always accomplished (Numbers 23:19;Isaiah 55:11). He gave us His Spirit to live in us, the same power that raised Christ from the dead and healed His mortal body (Romans 8:11). The Holy Spirit is our Teacher, our Friend, our Father. Jesus is in us, speaking to us, forever. He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Additionally, when He sees we’re coming up short in patience, in knowledge, in finances, in endurance, He is there to provide us with everything we need. He steps in in ways we may not know until He takes us to heaven, in order to keep us on the right road. There are simply too many testimonies to this.

His compassion will never force anything on us, will never remove His tender care from us, will never stop loving us. That’s what we think. We make Him harsh. But it is evil that forces us to do what we don’t want. God knows every name, human or angel, devils or unclean spirits. Good or evil. And mourns those who are lost. His isn’t a cold shoulder but a soft one. Jesus shows us an example in His tears for Judas. The Father mirrors it in the truth of John’s Revelation. What we picture as God’s wrath and angry hate is instead, Him taking all that’s lost and making it meaningful.

What do we do with disappointment? We acknowledge it. It’s normal to be disappointed sometimes. It isn’t sin. Being sad doesn’t mean you’ve messed up. Stop blaming yourself. Then hand it to Jesus and turn your eyes toward Him. Don’t let yourself stay in that unhappy place. Be willing to laugh again.

“You don’t need to worry or fret about anything: with a thankful heart, just talk to God about all your concerns, troubles and stresses, and God’s peace—that is beyond words and human explanation—will fill your minds and strengthen your hearts as you trust totally in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7, Remedy)


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Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com