It’s What We Do With Disappointment
During the time today that I haven’t been eating or walking on the beach or watching old movie reruns, I’ve been reading bloggers’ takes on the election outcome. Basically everyone is saying the same thing: Now that it’s over, if Barack wasn’t your candidate, you’ve got to suck it up and pray. And dadgummit, I agree.
The question I’m left with now is what to do with this lingering disappointment. It’s hard not to feel guilty for harboring this emotion when I read how ‘good Christians’ shouldn’t. That if I don’t jump on board that I’m being divisive – or even worse – racist.
Let me make one thing clear before I move on: I could care less if our next President is green with pink polka dots if he (or she) is godly. I do not have a prejudiced bone in my body against any race or creed. To attribute my emotions to the color of a person’s skin or their political party is far too simplistic. No, my funk is much more complex than that. And as for singing kumbayah with the new administration, that remains to be seen. I can fulfill my obligations to pray for our leaders and obey the laws of the land without throwing in full enthusiasm to a godless government if it in fact proves to be so. Did Paul glaze over in feigned support for Nero? Did John unite with Domitian? Don’t give me grief by assuming I’m making unfair comparisons. My point is that we are not obligated to yoke with leaders who do not share our faith nor participate in the idol worship that is currently taking place.
The question I’ve asked myself today is this: Do I have the right to be disappointed? If yes, then for how long and to what end?
To the first part of this question, I wholeheartedly conclude it is not a sin to be disillusioned with the direction in which we’ve just watched our country turn. There is nothing wrong with grieving the fact the most powerful man in the land is an avid supporter of everything Christians stand against – or should. It is okay to be upset that the President-elect who claims Christianity never mentioned God in his victory speech but was quick to thank homosexuals who stood in line to vote for him. It is acceptable to be disturbed to hear grown men describe Obama as a ‘beautiful man’ and ‘the hope of our generation’. There should be no stigma on me for vocalizing the sorrow I feel for the hard battles that lie before us. I’m not saying the issues our government faces would be solved easily or at all with McCain, but there was some small comfort in hearing him proclaim (without stuttering or stammering) where he stood on basic questions of life and liberty.
For me personally, it is important to speak the truth of my thoughts and not simply allow you to think I have some level of piety that allows me not to be saddened by all this. With that said, even though I want to get my heart out in the open, I refuse to get comfortable in this place. Disappointment must never give way to despair.
This passage is speaking volumes to me as I ask God to comfort my heart. Hear what Paul says in Romans 5:1-5:
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”
Do you notice the progression of hope? Tribulation produces long suffering. Long suffering results in proven character. And once we’ve been found faithful in Christ and He has once again proven Himself faithful to us, then we are granted hope. Contrary to Oprah’s belief, hope did not win this election. We do not exult in a mere man no matter what his political party or religious affiliations. We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God! One thing is certain, no matter what events befall this nation or this earth, the pre-eminent LORD will be glorified and magnified and reign supreme. Now that is someone in whom we should place our faith.
So what’s next? Absolutely we pray for our nation, the President elect, and his family. We ask God to thrill us with some holy surprises when we’ve wrongly assumed the worse-case scenario. We rejoice because these conflicted emotions and trials and heartaches produce a hope we never could have experienced otherwise. We consider ourselves blessed because today, our candidate or not, we still live in a great nation free from tyranny, famine, and pestilence. I have no doubt our future president will work diligently to preserve all these things on our behalf.
Above all, we put a limit on our disappointment. Why? Because true, appropriately-placed hope does not disappoint. It’s not evil to feel this way temporarily. It is the danger of sustained cynicism and despair that we avoid at all costs. I gave myself 24 hours to wallow. This is the 23rd hour and my time is up. Consider this my final purging.
You’re welcome.
Standing firmly in Grace,
Well said, Lisa.
I keep telling myself it will be alright, and I know God’s still in control. But I’m grieved at the way our nation collectively winks at sin. Especially the way no one seems to notice or care about the slaughter of our unborn. My heart just breaks, and I thank God for that. It keeps me on my knees for the sweet little ones who will never draw breath.
And yet, because of Him, I remain . . .
A prisoner of hope,
Megan
Well put! This is not a time for Christians to roll over and play dead. Our committment and responsibility is to pray for our leaders but we do not have to trade God’s grace and His truth for anything! I live in the south and all day I have heard nothing but racial ignorances. My 13 year old daughter came home to report that kids were telling her ” she would know what it was like to be a slave now”. Wake up America – now is the time for Christians to take a stand!! -Laurie
girl it is so great that you posted this because all of the blogs have been like pray and support and I have been thinking about the same thing. I know Romans 13 and that is great. I will pay my taxes and submitt to governing authority but I am extremely disappointed in how divided our country is and how we have gotten away from the bible which is what our country was founded on. Instead we are all about tolerance (I am saying the US) and no respect of life or the sanctity of marriage. Clearly homosexuality is not God’s design because they can not pro-create. To me Obama just said what the people wanted to hear and tickled their ears. I am no respector of persons either…I have just never seen anyone more liberal. I am downcast over it and that is why I have not even blogged about it. I have been sick to my stomach…just being real. I hope to get on board with all of what the blogs are saying but I am going to have to ask God to change my heart. Right now I just have to focus on Him. Anyway, thanks for keeping it real because this is how I was feeling. Love you girl!! ps I better hurry and go get my gun permit before my guns get taken away. Shoot thru the purse!
I’m new to your blog and so glad I stopped by tonight. I love your honesty and concur completely.
From a fellow pw.
I have to respectively disagree with you all. This is why non believers are turned off by conservative christians. I wasn’t an Obama supporter but you all seem to be extremely judgemental of a leader who hasn’t even made his first decision yet. And as far as being united from a biblical standpoint, conservatives want to focus on the unborn issues and that is a huge issue, but conservatives fail to support life after birth. OK so a baby is born, then what? They go home to a life a poverty where a single mother will struggle to keep food on the table and a roof over their head while “good christians” are eating well and living the good life. How is that biblical? It is easy to spout biblical passages, but as the saying goes “you can talk the talk, but are you walking the walk? I too have problems with the abortion issue, but that alone is not a deal breaker. There are many other issues to be addressed in this nation that can be addressed biblically. Does God deny us or persecute us every time we are wrong about one thing? You say you are not being divisive, but you are. Not only are you assuming that Obama will make the wrong decisions, you are saying that people who support him are not included in your “christian elite”. People are not looking to him in worship or idolship, they are looking for a leader to run the buisness of our country. If christians would do what they are supposed to be doing in their lives, spreading the word, witnessing, giving to others the way God gives to us, loving and not hating, then we wouldn’t have to worry about who was president, because all these moral issues would be addressed by communities instead of the big bad federal government. By the way, while we are assuming, I assume that if McCain had won then the issues of homosexuality, abortion, and other christian conservative hot topics would not have changed at all, just as it has not changed in the last eight years while the supposed “christian” party has been in total power. In all fairness to Obama, he did not say thank you to God in this speech, but he did say God bless you the people and God bless the country. He has said thank you to God before in other speeches for his family and his strength in getting him this far. I did not hear McCain say thank you to God either. I too am disappointed by the way our country is heading, but it has nothing to do with who is president. It is disappointing that christians pick and choose the sins that they want to chastize publically and who should be the poster children for those sins. It is easy to read the bible selectively and choose those passages which benefit our own agendas while ignoring the ones that step on our toes. In reality, we are all sinners here on earth, even the president. So why don’t we all give him a chance and see if his “liberalism” can foster some love and peace across the world, not just in the southern bible belt. While I’m sure Roe v Wade won’t be overturned, maybe liberalism will save some adult lives, maybe children will get healthcare, maybe “Joe the Plummer” will get a tax break and be able to quit his second job long enough to attend church on sundays. I don’t know God’s plan, and I don’t think any of you do either. Let’s have some mercy and love in our hearts. Aren’t we supposed to live and love ’em like Jesus?
“Your future partner in the
tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that
are in Jesus” (Rev. 1:9)
As for me, I am called to pray for our president, his family, and his advisors. But that doesn’t mean I must agree with and support his decisions. Yes – God has allowed Obama to rise to be the future leader of our Country, and God has a plan. I don’t know what the days ahead hold so I’ll wait to see what He does and how he does it before I make the call to throw my full support behind him.
Yesterday, the Lord brought me to the same passage about rejoicing in the hope of the glory of God. (I love that verse!) That is what I’m going to do today. I will fight in my mind to remember that no matter who’s in the White House, God is on His Throne!
Thanks for your words. I’ve been dissappointed with the countries choice and with the way the country has been going (and that has been for quite some time). I’ve been praying for the president elect. I’ve been praying that he does the right thing for the country and praying that God will touch his heart and change his mind on some very important issues.
The one thing that anonymous is forgetting is that if the baby has been aborted, we are unable to give it health care, better education and tax breaks. It’s too late for all that. And I support ALL of those things. But first we must protect life, from the beginning and then see it through. And this is coming from a conservative Northern Catholic who has never lived in the bible belt :)
Lisa, I appreciate your being real about this. I admit I was in quite the pit when I went to bed Tuesday night, and when I woke up yesterday morning.
I hope I conveyed on my own blog post the disappointment I felt and the struggle I had trying to move up from that yesterday. I definitely would not want to sound pious or Pollyannaish about what I feel just happened in our country.
That being said, I tried to convey the ways that God showed me yesterday that He is still in control. For reasons I cannot understand, He chose to allow this to happen.
It is our job to pray. I have been doing that and will continue to do so, but no, I have not jumped on the bandwagon to throw my support behind someone who supports things that so clearly go against God’s Word.
Again, thank you for keeping it real. I really appreciate what you had to say.
Blessings,
Dawn
Anonymous- you say that ‘we’ are being “extremely judgemental.” Maybe you should go back and read your post again and see who sounds judgemental…And one more thing that struck a chord with me, you talk about the abortion issue and ask ‘what to do after the baby is born?’ Help is out there, but you can’t help someone who won’t help themselves. There are other choices that can/could be made like, adoption or abstanance(heaven forbid someone teach about that!)….a life is a life, like it or not and God didn’t allow that little blessing to be created with the intentions for someone to undo ‘His’ work. Anyways, those are my own personal opinion and take it as just that, an opinion.
Lisa, great post! Please be careful on ya’lls way home!
Lisa,
You said it perfectly. I was wondering the same thing about my disappointment and discouragement. I know that we need to pray, and that God is sovereign, but my human nature was just screaming, “It’s not fair!!!”
There are so many things with which I do not agree with the new administration. Am I disturbed that the house and senate have a Democratic majority? Sure. But I am preparing my heart for mighty things in the days to come. Things that test our faith and bring out the best in us, through Chirst.
Thanks for the word….
Xandra
Thank you for making your thoughts so clear. I posted a similar dialog on my blog if you’re curious to check it out. But your words are so clear and so true.
Great, great post! So much good stuff. I love those verses you pointed out…very appropriate. I also appreciated the fact that you shared your honest feeling, but limited your disappointment time…real wisdom in that.
I’m not happy with our new President either. He didn’t get my vote, but he’s obviously the man our country wanted. I just hope I don’t hear these same people complaining about him for the next four years. They got what they asked for!
Lisa,
As always, you are eloquent, godly, and RIGHT ON! Thanks for sharing your heart, your hurt, and your hope!
Love you, my friend!
Linda
Lisa,
Great post and great discussion. Always love reading your words. Such wisdom Hugs.
Lisa, I stumbled across your blog this morning and found it very encouraging. Thanks for sharing so honestly.
Ducks and boots I agree with you, Lisa, I agree with you as well,but surprise…surprise.{I know} Anonymous, you said we, Christians, as you put it, that are concerned with the democratic, not the “black” man elected, stands for more that the 1 SIN you chose to comment on, abortion. We as Christians have a God given responsibility to look for and choose what is right. Not only for our own family, but with our right to vote. I am very distraught as well, however, it is our job now to PRAY like we have never prayed before for our country and the direction it seems we are headed for. I am not sure if he is Muslim or not, however I do know that he refused to salute and face the flag, just because he said God bless America, other “idol god’s” that are worshiped are also referred to “god” not our God. Keep in mind there is ONE AND ONLY TRUE GOD, JEHOVA JIRAH!!! There are SO many things that the democratic liberals stand for that God teaches against and requires us to follow…..where do I begin. Abortion is a huge, huge abomination to God’s plan for us, if murder is not enough to turn your stomach and your vote…….tell me…what is!
Lisa, as usual, great post. Thank you!!!!!!
I was also extremely disappointed in the outcome of this election and the direction that this country “seems” to be headed. I do not base my vote on political party, color or creed neither, but on values and morals that line up with God’s Word.
I believe that this too is another sign of the “Last Days”. This has intensified my “sadness” because I have a son who is running from God and involved in things that is clearly against God’s Word plus he was not raised that way and he knows the Word of God. He now at the age of 22 refers to God’s Word as just another book interpreted by man. My heart as a mother, let alone, a Christian is breaking. The time is near and I can’t bear the thought of spending eternity without my son.
For those who have read my blog on Thankful Thursday…this is where the majority of my emotional rollercoaster has generated from this week. I have cried buckets after buckets of tears for my son.
Thank you so much for bearing your true thoughts and insight with us. I am tired of people telling me to “get over it”, “pray for him” and “everything will be ok”. My pain runs deeper than just our country…it is very personal for me.
Thank you again…I love you blog and will continue to follow you regularly.
So well spoken! I’ve been trying to put into words the way that I feel and you just did it for me.
I’d like to link to this post from my blog if you wouldn’t mind. Please let me know. THANKS!
Thank you Lisa, your words helped.
Lisa,
You put into words what I have been feeling too. Thanks for the encouragement and wisdom of putting a time limit on feeling down.
Amen! Well said. We must as Christians, respect the position of authority, but we do not need to unite behind him or his policies. We can not partake of evil.
my thoughts came out in your words. Thank heavens for that, because you write them so much more eloquently than I think them!
Amen sister! I absolutely agree that it is okay to feel the very HUMAN emotions of disappointment, disallusionment, even anger..the Bible even says (as im sure you know) in your anger do not sin. we feel it, and we take it to God. we feel it again, we take it to God again. He knows your heart. These feelings can and are righteous as we see our nation becoming more and more godless and immoral. To see our new leader not protect the sanctity of a child born alive, just because the parent doesnt want it, is rediculous! Lots of men in the Bible had righteous anger over the immorality of their leaders. But they prayed. As i know you are doing.
I just keep telling myself that this world is temporary and no matter who won, revelation was still going to come and the world is still going to end. Oh how i look forward to the day we can be in heaven with our Savior!
God is with you, and so am i in spirit my sister.
Love, Elyse
Very eloquently stated. I am so proud of you.
Very well put…try explaining all that to a 14 and 10 year old:) do you have a condensed version? ;) lol! jk….I think I got through to them! However, you could tell your kids to tell my kids…hehehehe….just in case they didn’t get it.
I was very surprised at how much this has been talked at school among their peers. Very interesting!
Fabulous Lisa! You articulated best exactly what I have been thinking… thank you so much for sharing this, I feel like I have just taken a breath of fresh air amidst the smoke of this week.
I find so much encouragement through your posts. Thank you for so eloquently putting into words how I feel most days. :) My HOPE is in Jesus Christ our Savior!
I pray for the day that I have your wisdom. This was an AWESOME post.
Lisa, first of all, I hope you guys had a wonderful trip. I missed you! Although we do not agree on every issue, I too share your disappointment in how this election is turning out. I agree that what this country and our president need right now is prayer. I do have to agree with anonymous on one issue, and this is because I am a Christian, not conservative or liberal. Both parties stand for things that are not biblical and the current conservative administration has done nothing on the unbiblical issues most conservatives harp on. I say if you don’t do anything to change something you don’t like or agree with, then you are in essence supporting it. Instead of condeming this president yet to be in office for choices he has made in the past ( I am sure we have all made bad choices in the past, I know I have)why don’t we rally together as christian women and as a body of christ and pray for this mere man and more importantly the people who live in this great America. I hate getting caught up in politics and quite frankly I think that is what is wrong with America. We are so divisive about who’s on the right and who’s on the left instead of just being up front for God. To those of you who do not know me, my husband is a high school government and economic teacher, so I get to help research all the myths and facts about each party. No party is more “godly” than the other. And, just to set the record straight, because I think everyone should have the facts. Obama is not a muslim you can follow his christian path from his childhood if you do the research. Also that part about him not saluting, you can get the video from that actual still picture that floated around on the internet for so long. That still pic was actually taken at the very end of the national anthem and he had been saluting for the rest of the anthem. I commend you Lisa, for limiting your dissapointment. No matter who the president is, I am so thankful to be a child of God first, and an American second! We each have our own convictions, but let’s get out there and not only spread God’s word, but live it! This country is in deep trouble spiritually, financially, and in war. We have a lot to pray about girls! Love you Lisa! Sorry this post is so long, you know I can’t hold back my opinions!!!
I read your blog today and when I had a few minutes I looked up the word truth and found a chapter in the bible that sums up the issues at hand. Isaiah 59 is a very good description of where our nation is today. v3 decribes us as having blood on our hands, fingers with inquity, lips with lies, and tounges with perverseness. v.4 describes we have no justice and we do not want the truth, they trust in vanity, speak lies, and conceive mischeif. v.7 their feet run in evil and make haste to shed innocent blood. If this is not America I don’t know what is. Our biggest issue is that we do not want the truth and continue to sin because people tell us that it is ok, because what is wrong for you is not wrong for me. The bible teaches that this is sin and the only truth is GOD and his word. If the bible calls it sin, then it is regardless of political party. We have to love others like Jesus did but we still must point out sin or we are no different than anyone else. The bible is our standard and if other believers are turned off by my conservative stance then that might mean they really don’t know the Jesus that I do.
I really respect your walk with God and enjoy your blog, but I have been a believer and a Republican my whole life until this election . . . I guess it isn’t worth debating . . . but I don’t really see a Biblical reason to be terribly sorrowful over Obama, or to have been greatly hopeful with McCain. I’m glad that Christian doesn’t have to equal Republican.
All I can say is Amen!!!!!!!!
The only answer to all this is God and we MUST pray for our nation daily. Love ya Lisa
http://www.crazykidteacher.blogspot.com/
I was disappointed, too, Lisa, but thank goodness because of our faith and hope we have in God, we don’t have to be distraught or in despair. If you have time, click over to my blog. I tell about a scripture God used on election morning to help me prepare for whatever the outcome would be. The future now? As always, prayer is key…
I couldn’t have put this better and just for interest’s sake, I’m non-White and non-American/non-resident in America. This is about my faith in Jesus. Unfortunately, I am one of a mere handful of ppl in my country who was disappointed. Americans may not all realise just how wide and deep the global acceptance of Obama is…not surprising. The world will love it’s own.
I’m not reading the other comments, I just want to say that I agree with you and feel the same way. I know that God is much bigger than all of this and I believe Him to do magnificent things over the next 4 yrs. He’s God for cryin out lout. He can and I trust that He will.
I love ya Lysa. I’m thankful for your honest and pure heart. I’m praying so hard for our country. And, thats a good thing.
Big hugs,
Fran
This is the most beautiful post I’ve read on this subject and I resounded with it entirely. So eloquent and beautifully put.
You know, when has Christianity grown the most? When it is NOT in power. Look at how the Israelites flourished in Egypt, and during periods of captivity…same is true for the persecuted church. (Not that I want to wish persecution on us, or think that Obama = persecution…)
Hi Lisa,
I too share your conservative stance. I do not consider myself a Republican or a Democrat. I had a hard time voting this time around as I found things that made me uncomfortable on both sides. Yes, there is the abortion issue but then there is the divorce issue on the Republican side of it. I am deeply prolife but I also believe in marriage. I love how Obama feels about family and hope for the future. I never heard McCain mention God. That was bothersome to me. I had a bad feeling about that as did most of the country…As everyone is saying….God is in control and HE wanted Obama in the whitehouse and as far as Im concerned God knows best…..
Lisa, that is a powerful message and one I so need to hear. It’s also one I’ll be sure to share.
~Lori Anne
http://seekingmethroughhim.blogspot.com/
I just love this totally honest post. So many of us feel the same way you do.
How and when can we process through and stop the grieving? It breaks my heart that our free country made this choice but it breaks my heart more that free men walk away from God all the time.
Our job is surely not finished.
Bless you, Cindy
You go girl.
EXCELLENT post! I gave myself 48 hours of mourning … even wore black yesterday and today. :o)
Very well said!!! You are like a female version of C.S. Lewis!!
And don’t “whatev” me either!:)
Love ya Girl!
PS. When is Lost coming back on? ha
You rock the casbah.
You made some really good points. I have enjoyed reading the comments. I LOVE Vernie’s comment. We listened to the election results on Moody broadcasting this year, instead of the usual media poison. They reported the results, yet gave Christian listeners encouragement even on the night lots of Christians considered themselved defeated as far as the election went. We were reminded that we are to go forward as witnesses, and to do that in LOVE and truth. It was amazing that throughout the night and into the next day, as I listened and prayed, I was ready to shout much more often than cry.
I hope you guys had a great trip! I’m betting you have to detox your kids after all that grandparent spoiling that went on this past week!
I totally agree with Anonymous! As I read the various blogs (opinions) I get the feeling that if I am in favor of our next President, I am less of a Christian in the eyes of some “christians”. I thought that only God could judge! I voted for McCain because of the abortion issue from my heart, but my head wanted to vote for Obama! What a giant step in history was made.
Very well said, friend.
I purged on my own blog the other night, but now I’m done.
I haven’t even read through the other comments just because I don’t want to start thinking about it all over again.
Have a great weekend, my sister.
I just read a comment on another blog and thought it was great. Here is the link:
http://thinklaughweepworship.blog
spot.com/
I can understand your disappointment with the next president of the United States, based on some fundamental disagreements on key issues.
However, I refuse to believe you guys think the alternative is any better. John McCain represents Christian values?
Republicans and Democrats alike are condemning McCain for running one of the ugliest, most dishonorable campaigns in recent memory. He told half-truths and downright lies in his desperation to gain support, attacking Obama’s character in ways that had no justification or merit.
McCain knew deep down that Obama’s relationship with Ayers was a non-issue, and no more significant than some of his own past associations. He knew Obama wasn’t a Socialist, and that he wouldn’t raise taxes for the middle-class. He knew it would be impossible to balance the budget within one term, as he promised on many occasions. The list of distorted truths that came pouring out of McCain and his running mate in recent months goes on and on.
Sure, if he had won, your definition of marriage would be protected (and by the way, Obama doesn’t have any interest in redefining marriage, either. He’s said this many times), and abortion would be outlawed. I know that’s what you guys want, of course. But does that end justify the awful, un-Christian campaign he ran?
I’m just wondering.