Sometimes we get exactly what we want, but most often, we don’t. Typically our wants and wishes are met with a reality that seemingly falls short and we’re left with the offering of disappointment. Disappointed it didn’t go as well as we hoped and things didn’t work out as we planned.
Are you disappointed right now?
That’s a fair feeling, likely even justified. But what if there’s a bigger perspective and a greater plan at work? What if you could see what God sees? You wouldn’t be disappointed … you would be grateful. You would be relieved. Why? Because better is on the way!
I once heard it put this way:
When you get what you want, that’s God’s direction.
When you don’t get what you want, that’s God’s protection.
Lord, direct me and protect me.
There’s a current Facebook giveaway for an RV. It caught my eye and I immediately began envisioning our homeless wandering adventures to include this RV. In my head I’m thinking “wow, that would be awesome!” A mobile podcast studio, traveling across the country meeting our listeners, bringing you in as a special live audience when stopping in your area. Genius!
Odds are that likely won’t fall in my lap. Odds are it will be just another want that’s quickly dismissed and we move on.
There’s also a dream house give away through Better Homes & Gardens on Hilton Head Island that’s in it’s final week. I mentally moved into every room of that house ya’ll, so whoever wins it, prepare for it to be a little awkward at first. Odds are, they won’t be calling me.
James 1:17 says “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father …”
We have a good, good Father who gives PERFECT gifts. If he withholds anything from us, it’s for our protection. There are places we are to go, people we are to love, impacts we are to make, and if we’re caught up with the newest gift he has given us, we may miss it. So, sometimes his “no” isn’t withholding a good thing, it is protecting his good way.
Let’s face it, our “stuff” gets in the way.
We would love to live an adventure and travel more, but if that means selling all our treasures in exchange, we’re out. The truth is, we love our sofa too dang much.
What have you traded for your stuff? Are you okay with it? Is God calling you to something more?
I can’t answer those questions for you, but you know if you feel a stirring in your spirit.
One of my favorite authors is Donald Miller. His book “A Million Miles In a Thousand Years” changed the trajectory of my life. He talks about God’s creation, and then God’s invitation to join him in creating. Imagine that for a moment, you and God creating together.
God invites us to dream with him, and when we do, we catch a glimpse of all that could be. Those dreams come with risks and sacrifices which scare many, but for the bold, those dreams come with the opportunity to live a life few ever will.
Now, here’s what I’ve found on that bold journey as we are now homeless wandering adventurers living fully in the moment: The offering of disappointment is everywhere. The more you dare to ask, the more you are faced with a no. The more you step out, the more often you fall.
THIS IS NOT TO DISAPPOINT YOU … THIS IS TO PROTECT YOU.
Isaiah 55:12 God says:
You will go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
will clap their hands.
So keep dreaming, keep asking, keep trying and keep trusting God to protect you with his no. Not the winner, ain’t happening, wrong way, try again. This isn’t the end, it’s just a nudge in the right direction.
When I had a house and actually had floors I was responsible for cleaning on a regular basis, I had one of those Jetson’s like robotic vacuums. I named her Rosie. This thing was amazing. I confess I sat mesmerized and watched Rosie clean my dark wood floors. In the beginning, she would go under the entertainment center and often get stuck. Eventually Rosie learned the boundaries of the room and the placement of the furniture and she no longer got stuck. She sensed when She was getting close, and she turned.
God’s spirit works like this in our lives. We get stuck so we learn. We learn to listen to his promptings. We learn to trust his guidance. As we learn, as we listen, as we trust, we get stuck less. Disappointment over plans that don’t work out, wishes that don’t come true, and ideas that never happen is no longer a threat to us. We bump and we go. We turn. We trust. We continue.
You do not have to be stuck in disappointment here honey. This didn’t go the way you imagined because you don’t see what God sees. You don’t know what God knows. He knows this “no” will guide you to the right “yes”.
Sadly our past disappointments often cause us to stop dreaming with God. He’s inviting you to come back and dream with him again. Create with him. Go on an adventure with him. Trust his guidance and his protection. It’s exciting when we’re met with a YES. But what’s even better is being met with a NO because that means the greater YES is still ahead.
