Friday, October 30, 2009

Disobey your hope

In my ESL classes we are learning about feelings, characteristics and qualities. I was struggling to define the word " disappointed" when one of the students looked it up in her translator. The Chinese equivalent is to 'disobey your hope'. The circumstances disobeyed your hope, the feeling of disappointment disobeys your hope, your are disobeying your hope by being disappointed...whatever the meaning it is spot on.
I am disappointed when I have had an expectation, a hope, and that hope has not been met. The outcome dis-obeyed my expectation.
It is hard to deal with disappointment. It is hard for my kids to hear that they have disappointed me...more so then if they make me angry. It is easy to understand in light of disobeying some one's hope.
I think in a relationship with God, both of us get disappointed with the other. God does not come through...He did not do what I had hoped He would do...He disobeyed my hope. The question is...why do I have that expectation? Does He have to obey my hope?
Do I have to obey His hope for me? Neither is an Have To...I guess it would be better if it was a Get To.
The rub is...His hope for me is always to be my benefit. My hope for Him isn't.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I like your conclusion. I was reminded of Luke 17:10 "So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, `We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.' " - lew