Following the death of Jesus, at least two of His disciples left Jerusalem, the previous hub of hope for the Jews. Their hearts and hopes clearly were crushed regarding the return of the Jewish kingdom. Disillusionment had so clouded the truth that they considered Jesus to be the “village idiot.” In a move to unmask their tunnel vision, Jesus concealed His identity and played ignorant to the events surrounding His own death. (See Luke 24:13-35)
Disappointment and disillusionment occur when our deepest expectations aren’t met. Either what we hoped for doesn’t happen, or what we dread comes to pass. In either case, the emotional, tangible, or spiritual ground we’re standing on collapses. And we’re left alone with our own thoughts and conclusions. Sometimes it’s the failure of people we highly esteem that triggers our disillusionment. Other times, we may falter from being overly dependent on friends. Our disappointment might come from the sudden loss of financial resources that have always been available, or an unexpected turn of events that robs us of stability and reputation.
No matter what the source might be, we’re confronted with the questions of where our hope is anchored and what we actually need to survive and continue. Disappointment is meant to be a divine “checkpoint” on our journey to Christ-likeness. We must declare to ourselves and to God where we’re seeking our sufficiency from. And if we long to be conformed to the likeness of our Lord, only one answer will suffice.
-- Fran Sciacca in “To Yield with All Your Soul”
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