Impact - Day 17

Day 17 – The Relative Nature of Disappointment – Part 2

Joshua 3:14-16  … when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea ) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 

… continued from yesterday.

As I sat stunned by this burglary, a sense of surprise overwhelmed my other emotions. Why was I so affected by this theft? It was just stuff, after all. No one was hurt. Most of our house and valuables were safe. We have insurance and are surrounded by caring neighbors and friends. I realized the depth of disappointment that arises when our visualized expectations go unmet. 

Disappointment can be overwhelming, a dense fog through which we cannot see. It can arise from severe or silly matters. It drains us of perspective and can cause us to do regrettable things. These realizations hit me amidst supremely recoverable losses and drew my mind to my study of the Children of Israel at the time of Joshua.

The entirety of the Israelite identity was connected to the anticipation of God’s deliverance into the promised land. So much worse than losing a set of golf clubs, they had to face the loss of a generation as they wandered around in the wilderness far beyond their expected timeline. Talk about disappointment and unmet expectations. How difficult must it have been to continue to believe in the land of promise?

This is where the voice of God says, “Trust me. I am bringing you through your disappointment. I can see what you cannot.” Isaiah 55:9 says, “…just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”

Have you noticed that it becomes increasingly difficult to remember the things you were disappointed about as time passes? From our perspective today, the wilderness wandering was a tiny blip on the radar. The bigger deal? God fulfilled His promise.

1. What is something that was a big deal at the time it occurred that now seems small?
2. Do you find it easy or challenging to handle disappointment? Why do you think that is?
3. What current disappointments do you find difficult to process? What would you like to say to Jesus about that?