Dinosaur Disappointments

Growing up, my dad was my primary source for books that were worth reading. He introduced me to some of my very favorite books and authors. One in a long list was Michael Crichton. My dad and I were fans of Jurassic Park and when we heard that it was going to be made into a movie, we couldn't wait to see it. The release was on my dad's birthday, so I made plans to take him to see it to celebrate. Our expectations for this were through the roof on this.

But as we sat there, in the air conditioned theater, our fingers slick with butter from the popcorn, we couldn't help but feel disappointment. Sure, there were some great effects, the sound was amazing, and it's hard not to love Jeff Goldblum, but compared to the book, the movie just didn't measure up. The world that Crichton created was richer and more complicated than Steven Spielberg could ever hope to replicate.

Disappointment happens any time our experience doesn't match our expectations. Sometimes it's an acceptable disappointment, like when a movie doesn't deliver.

But sometimes it feels more profound; more dinosaur-sized. A friendship betrayed. A trust broken. A promise not kept.

These disappointments can weigh us down. We have to choose, time and again, whether to offer a second or third or two-hundred-forty-seventh chance.

More often than I'd like to admit, I find that my disappointment extends to God. Times when I feel like he isn't living up to the promises that he has made based on the actions of those who claim to follow him. In those times, I love these words from the Psalms that remind me that I'm not alone in my struggle, and that there is a greater promise that he has made to each of us:

Answer me quickly, Lord;

my spirit fails.

Do not hide your face from me

or I will be like those who go down to the pit.

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,

for I have put my trust in you.

Show me the way I should go.,

for to you I entrust my life.

(Psalm 143:7-8, NIV)

God's love is unfailing. If you've experienced disappointment with God, know today that his love is unfailing. And it is big enough to take down any other disappointments you might experience.

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Have you experienced disappointments in your faith? What encourages you? What movie has left you feeling the most disappointed?

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This is a part of the One Word at a Time Blog Carnival hosted by Peter Pollock. You can read more submissions and add your own here.