It is true... I said it... I mean it... people disappoint me.
Over the past several weeks I have had a few situations in which I was hoping for responses or reactions from particular individuals. In one case, they have yet to responsed... in another, we talk from time to time but anytime something of substance comes up, they tend to disappear.
In talking with a close friend here in town (hey Ostrich!!) it seems that I'm not the only one disappointed by the way people act and think. He's been spending his time lately dealing with a very difficult situation in which many people are thinking of one thing and one thing only... themselves.
None of this is surprising, after all each and every one of us is constantly caught up in the battle between God and flesh, mind and heart, "life" and living.
None of the people I am disappointed by "owe" me anything... I'm not waiting for them to fulfill a promise or anything of that sort, I just simply expected more from them.
As my mind wanders, I start to think about all of the times that people have expected more of me than I was willing to give... be it my wife, my kids, my parents, my friends, my church, my job/bosses, myself or even my Lord. It is a sobering thought!
I've been reading in Joshua and Judges lately and have been amazed at how many people in the bible disappointed God... Judges in particular is full of God showing favor followed by disappointment toward people who simply didn't seem to "get it". There were consequences, but God was faithful to His plan for those people.
We are very much the same way... constantly and consistently disappointing God and crying out to Him when things don't go our way... yet the Lord still desires to call each of us His own. How amazing is that? He is the ONLY one with truly unconditional love.
What an example... here we are, a world full of disappointing people, and yet God desires us to spend time with Him.
I guess the point of this all is when people disappoint me, it must be because I am looking at them through my eyes instead of God's.
In Him,
Jim
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7 comments:
Uhhhh . . . . I hope I'm not someone you're talking about! - ??
- J
Nope... you're not one of them... yet *grin*
Jim
Gee, I hope I'm not one of them either.
Nope, Jason... you're not one of them either!
Jim
But what's most disappointing is fun blog authors that write only weekly or so! ;-)
Yeah, Jeff... I hear that.
It has something to do with my day job keeping my busy. :)
Jim
Wow, thanks for posting. I often wonder, "Am I the only one, besides my close friends, that so often feels disappointed by those around me?"
I'm a really sensitive person and am highly aware of how I treat others, as are my friends. I *really* try to make an effort to be warm, caring and kind towards others. The down side of this, I think, is that I really notice, almost as if I have x-ray vision, when others "aren't" being kind, considerate, or caring.... and sadly, I notice this over and over and over. It often leaves me feeling hurt, sad, confused, and sometimes angry. I just don't understand why people don't make more of an effort to be nice.
When I feel angry, I try to remind myself that no one is perfect, including *me* and that sometimes people don't really mean to come across as rude or uncaring... it's hard not to feel this way though when someome whom you always try to make feel welcome and cared for never seems to make the slightest effort to be warm or caring towards you... like my future sister-in-law! :(
It's these disappointments that often make me want to withdraw from the people in my life that disappoint me.... I'm really happy when I'm alone... sometimes I just want to sail away... :)
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