Our disappointment comes from our expectations being limited to only ourselves and what we want. When we learn to set our expectations above then our lives are lived not for our own gratification but for the elevation of others. – Pastor J
Therefore, if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. (Colossians 3:1-2 NAS)
Think about how many disappointments we encounter in a day, a week or a lifetime. Whenever something doesn’t meet the expectation of our success, satisfaction or happiness we are left with disappointment. And how many times do we allow disappointment to determine the next step of our life’s journey? We become fearful of taking another risk, or we become distrusting of others, or we become uncommitted to anything. We do these to avoid facing more disappointment. But what we fail to realize is that in our efforts to protect ourselves from disappointment we are robbing ourselves of opportunity to succeed and prosper in our life’s purpose. So, we walk this life out in greater frustration and even greater disappointment.
What can a person do to avoid disappointment? The first step is to understand what the roots of our disappointments are. We tend to put blame on people, situations or circumstances for our disappointments. To do so is to give these variables in life power over our outcome. Learning to accept that our disappointments are really the result of our own selfishness we have come to the place of addressing the root issue, and disappointment is about to face extinction in our life. We are responsible for change in ourselves, but not in others. Never allow anything power over your life that you cannot change!
Our disappointment comes from our expectations being limited to only ourselves and what we want. When we learn to set our expectations above then our lives are lived not for our own gratification but for the elevation of others. The greatest example of this truth is given to us in the life of Jesus Christ. He taught that success in this life is found in using our life to serve others, “But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that in this world kings are tyrants, and officials lord it over the people beneath them. But among you it should be quite different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must become your slave. For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give my life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:25-29 NLT)
If we learn that our lives are meant to be an asset to others, and that our gratification comes from our obedience to God by serving others; not from the outcome of circumstance or situations, or even people; then no amount of struggle, persecution, trouble, or opposition will dictate the decisions we make, and thus the outcome of our lives will be the fulfillment of God’s will. The gospel of John records, “Meanwhile the disciples were urging Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But He said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So, the disciples were saying to one another, “No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work “(John 4:31-34 NAS). Jesus was in essence saying to His disciples that His appetite was the will of the Father, and His satisfaction was in His fulfilling the Father’s will. In this place Jesus could never be disappointed in the outcome of the situation because His satisfaction wasn’t in the outcome of the moment, but in the will of God. Jesus by example was teaching us how to not seek our gratification in the outcome of what we do, but to find it in the doing, and our reward would ultimately be found in the joy of pleasing Him and His honoring us for a job well done.