Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ. Gal 1:10
23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Col 3:23-24

You might find these verses unusual on the topic of dealing with disappointment. Disappointment is the feeling of sadness or displeasure that comes from the non-fulfillment of our hopes and expectations. In dealing with this topic today, I would like to take a ‘first-things-first’ approach. Paul wrote to the Galatians and explained that his goal was never to please people but to please God. He implored the Colossians to work hard as unto the Lord and not for human masters.

He draws their attention God-ward because that is the most important relationship one will ever have. When we fix our attention on God, we look to Him to meet all our needs and satisfy our desires as we delight in Him. Problem number one comes when we focus more on our horizontal relationships than we do on that one vertical one. Here’s why: people will often disappoint you – it’s a fact of life. Once you understand that, you will cut them some slack or be able to handle it better when the inevitable happens. Learn to adjust your expectations and extend grace to them.

And oh yes, that includes you by the way and how you relate to yourself. Last I checked, no-one had died and made you God, so when you are disappoint with yourself, always remember to run back to God as quickly as you can.

The biggest form of disappointment will come when we feel God has let us down and we are disappointed with Him. This is the most dangerous one because it has the potential to rock one’s faith, but yet again it’s one clearly dealt with in Scripture. At this point we need to run to Scripture and renew our minds on what God is like – His love, His compassion, His acceptance, His sacrifice, His faithfulness, His holiness.

Today, let us run to God and cultivate our relationship with Him as we grow to understand his love for and commitment to us. He is faithful and the truth about Him will keep you going through all kinds of upsets and difficulties. Let us enjoy closeness to God and communion with Him. Let us walk with Him and catch his heart. This will give us the right perspective for life!

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