Dealing with Disappointment
Loss and heartache come in so many forms. Long before we encounter that final enemy of death, most of us have bumped up against enough of life to understand the reality of living in a world where things aren’t the way they were intended to be.
Loss and heartache come in so many forms. Long before we encounter that final enemy of death, most of us have bumped up against enough of life to understand the reality of living in a world where things aren’t the way they were intended to be.
This fall as we study Genesis again I am reminded that we still live outside the garden. Sin and death still rule. Disappointment and loss are a part of coping with this painful reality. Yet often we resist acknowledging loss and shame ourselves for not always feeling joyful. That’s why I’m thankful that James 1:2 admonishes us to “count it all joy” not to feel it all joy.
A very wise counselor shared a thought-provoking concept with me along these lines. I believe disillusionment is one of those painful disappointments, one that is particularly difficult. Her quote reads, “Every disillusionment is a gift from God and an invitation to grow, because illusion by definition is not reality and Jesus is perfect truth.”
This means to me that my journey with Christ will of necessity be filled with successsive dis-illusionings as I begin to grasp more and more of truth or true reality. I live with many illusions, many that keep me from truly understanding life in a fallen world. Jesus walked this earth with no illusions; he saw clearly what was and is truth. John 2:23-24.
The good news is that the more truth or reality that I understand, the greater also will be my freedom. That is also His promise in John 8:33. So while I acknowledge a more difficult reality, of my self or my circumstances, I can anticipate a greater freedom.
Gwynne Johnson
Gwynne Johnson currently serves on the Board of Entrust, Inc., an international education and training mission where she authored the Entrust curriculum, Developing a Discerning Heart. She recently served as Co-Chair of the training project, Christian Women in Partnership, Russia and as Senior Director of Women's Ministry at Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas. Gwynne has a M.A. in Biblical Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary. She currently lives in Huntsville, Texas with her husband of 58 years, Don. She works part-time in her daughter and granddaughter's bakery "The Best Box Ever," where she gets paid in cookies.
