Crying Over Dashed Hopes

Do you ever grow weary of things not living up to your expectations or even to the advertisements and claims of others?  Have you ever asked yourself, "Am I the only person in the world who can't get this to work?"  If so, you're in good company.  In fact, that seems to be my dwelling place of late.

Try this flea remedy.  It's guaranteed.  Yeah, right!  I've tried them all, and you know what, I can't get any of them to work.  We must have the most resilient fleas in the world!

Just plug and play.  No setup required.  Are you kidding me?  I've already spent hours trying to get this crazy thing to work, and it still says it doesn't recognize the software.

A few minutes of this exercise each day will leave your abs flat and toned.  Yeah, I guess, it will eventually.  In the meantime, my abs are neither flat nor toned.  They're sore!

Rub this special oil on your dog's fatty tumors, and they'll disappear within a couple of weeks.  Weeks?  I've been doing it for months and have seen little to no change.

It's discouraging, isn't it?  Time after time, when searching for solutions to the daily problems of life, I seek out a new product or formula and get my hopes up that this time is going to be different.  This time, my effort will pay off.  This time I will be successful and finally conquer one of the many problems that creep in and out of life on a constant basis.  But then, with time and money wasted, the results are no different than the dozen of other things I've tried, and frustration sets in anew.

I cannot tell you how many tears I've shed over these solutions that seem to work for everyone but me.  The discouragement is simply too great, and combined with a sense of hopelessness, I don't know what else to do but cry.  Cry over my dashed hopes.  Cry over the time and money I've wasted. Cry over one more failure in my life.  Cry over the repeated appearance of disappointment in my life.

But amidst my tears, I am reminded of a precious truth.  There is one remedy that I've tried that has worked far better than I could have ever imagined, and His name is Jesus.  He has never left me frustrated or disappointed.  He lives up to His claims and far beyond what mere words can describe.  He has never let me down, and though I don't always understand what He's doing, I can rest assured that He is working.  And as long as I have that going for me, the rest of life's problems don't seem so serious.  Annoying?  Sure, but they are also temporary and not worth my tears, or yours, for that matter.

Instead of focusing on the things that haven't met your expectations, try focusing on the One who has.  It will change your entire outlook and before long, all those other problems will fade from view.  Isn't that how it's supposed to be?

Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful. The Lord preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me. Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. - Psalm 116:5-7