I am very curious. In the past couple of weeks, did everything go just the way you wanted it to? My guess is that there are more than a few people who have experienced some real disappointments in life in the past few weeks. My guess is that some have received some bad news about their health; some have lost loved ones; some have experienced some real difficulties at work.
I read an article that was in the Toronto Sun back in May of this year (2016) about a man who felt that God was constantly intervening in his life in a negative way–so much so that he decided to go to court and sue God, seeking a restraining order. Now you and I may not go that far, and we may even think that suing God is crazy. But when things go wrong, when we face events in life that don’t go our way, what are we to do? Disappointments happen all the time. How are we to handle them?
Years ago, when Jesus walked the earth, many of his followers had some great expectations for Him and the future. The Jewish people that followed Him longed for freedom from Roman oppression. Their great dream was that Jesus would free them and re-establish the historic Davidic kingdom that they had read so much about in their scriptures. Jesus was their Messiah which they believed meant an earthly kingdom and with it hope, but when Jesus was crucified on the cross His followers fell into despair. The Bible records that just a few days after the death of Jesus, two men walked away from Jerusalem filled with sadness.
On their journey to Emmaus, they met Jesus, not realizing it was actually him. As they walked, they talked of all that had happened. These two guys didn’t realize it right away, but they were spending time with Jesus who had died just a few days before and was now resurrected. He was alive! Jesus spoke to these men and taught them what the Old Testament said about Him. At the end of it all, Jesus had a meal with these two men, and when he ‘broke bread’ with them, these two men had their eyes opened. They realized then what had happened, and that this man they were with was Jesus. I find this funny: they were on their way to Emmaus, but once they get there and realize who they are with, once Jesus leaves them, they immediately turn around and head right back to Jerusalem from where they started!
It is an incredible transformation and turn around. They had their hopes dashed, they were in despair, they were sad. Then when they spend time with Jesus, their eyes are opened, and they begin to understand the broader perspective on life, and also the very fine details of the few days leading up to their journey. The result is that they are filled with joy. They go from sadness to joy and all because they had the opportunity to walk with Jesus and hear Him talk.
You can read the full story in the Bible, the book of Luke in the 24th chapter.
What does all of this mean? First off, while we have plans or expectations that go unmet, that doesn’t mean that God is absent or that God is not at work. In fact, it is usually quite the opposite. As bad as some outcomes may appear, we need to always remember that God is in control and that he cares about every single person in this world.
Secondly, it becomes incredibly clear to me that walking with Jesus can go a long way towards changing our perspective on life. While not everything will go our way, having Jesus at our side through life can help us face challenges with a smile, and even help us to see that disappointments in some strange sort of way can be blessings when we see them from God’s perspective.