[This reflection by Helen Ruffhead was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 28/Jul/2024]
I think one thing Christians find hard to acknowledge is a feeling of disappointment with God. When we first become Christians life often seems wonderful and we believe everything is going to be different, but then our old troubles come back and we can struggle with feelings of disappointment.
Often the disappointment is with other Christians. When I first became a Christian I was shown a great deal of love from the people in the Christian Union at university and I expected all Christians to behave in a loving way. Over the years I have continued to experience love from many Christians, but have also known indifference, harsh criticism and even rejection of me and my sons by Christians.
It took a long time for me to accept that Christians are just like me, faulty human beings who are trying to follow Jesus but have their own struggles and find some people very difficult to love. The only person who can give us the love we need is Jesus.
Sometimes the disappointment is with ourselves, as we continue to struggle with the same sins and temptations. Other people will often see changes the Holy Spirit is making in us that we can’t see for ourselves, so we need to encourage each other.
We can also face disappointment with our circumstances. Unfortunately, well-meaning Christians can give new believers false expectations. They say that Jesus wants to bless them and give them an abundant life, which is true, but they have their own ideas about what this means. Most often they will promise physical and emotional healing, but they may also predict that God will supply a life partner, children or wealth. Jesus never promised these things. Instead he told his followers to expect persecutions and trouble. The apostle Paul experienced great hardships, had a chronic health problem, was single, childless and poor, yet he was perfectly content, as he had the satisfaction of knowing Jesus and doing his will.
Paul said, in Philippians 3 v 10,11:
“I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.”
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Last week’s reflection: What, no water? by Michael Goble
Contributed by Helen Ruffhead; © Helen Ruffhead