ILLUSIONS AND DISILLUSIONMENT.....in a fallen world

Disillusionment - A feeling of disappointment resulting from the discovery that something is not as good as one believed it to be.

“But Jesus would not entrust Himself to them, for He knew all people” John 2:24

One of the hardest lessons I have ever had to learn is not to be disillusioned with people who disappoint me.?And as I read of the gospels of Jesus, I find that He had the same disappointments, particularly in the days before His death on the cross.

On the night Jesus was betrayed, we read that He was deeply distressed and troubled and asked Peter, James and John to keep watch and pray while He agonised in prayer to His Father.?Three times He returned to His disciples to find them sleeping.?Was He disillusioned or did His understanding of human nature help Him to realistically understand what had happened.?The answer is found in Jesus’ reply, “couldn’t you keep watch for one hour??Watch and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” Mark 14:37-38

When He was arrested, we read that “all the disciples deserted him and fled”. Matthew 26:56.

A little while later Peter who then followed Him at a distance was accused three times of being a follower of Jesus.?Each time Peter denied the claims and said that he didn’t know this man called Jesus.?And then we read “The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter.”?Luke 22:61

Was Jesus disillusioned??It would seem not because after His resurrection He appeared to His disciples and never spoke a critical word against them for deserting Him.

Even Paul, when he was in jail facing execution wrote to Timothy saying, “You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me…” 2 Timothy 1:15

So, how do we face disappointments without becoming disillusioned??I find the above words of Jesus in John 2 helpful.?Jesus had been performing a number of miracles and it was reported that many people began to trust in Him.?But Jesus did not respond by trusting them because He understood human nature.

Paul in his time of desertion in jail, could still say “But the Lord stood by my side and gave me strength.”

Joseph was betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery.?After the death of their father Jacob, his brothers were fearful that Joseph would hold a grudge against them and pay them back for wrongs they did to him.?But Joseph amazingly replied, “Don’t be afraid.?Am I in the place of God??You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.?So then, don’t be afraid.?I will provide for you and your children.” ?‘And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.’?Genesis 50:14-21

King David experienced a time of great distress when his “trusted” men were talking of stoning him, and yet in this moment we read, “But David found strength in the Lord”.?1 Samuel 30:6

In times of desertion these leaders all did the same thing; they put their trust in the one who said to His Disciples, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”?Matthew 28:20.

So, how do we avoid moments of disillusionment in our lives??The following are lessons I have (painfully) learned in my lifetime.

1.?????Accept that we have illusions about ourselves.?

Paul gives us a reality check when he says, “If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves.” Galatians 6:3. We ourselves are capable of letting others down especially when our blind spots hide this truth from us.?The failure that was possible with Jesus’ disciples is also possible with us.

2.?????Realise that we live in a fallen world.?

Don’t create illusions in the first place.?If it was possible for Jesus’ disciples to forsake Him, it is also possible that it can happen to us.?“And this is how suffering happens – if we love someone, but do not love God, we demand total perfection and righteousness from that person, and when we do not get it we become cruel and vindictive; yet we are demanding of a human being something which he or she cannot possibly give.?There is only one Being who can completely satisfy to the absolute depth of the hurting human heart, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord trusted no one, and never placed His faith in people, yet He was never suspicious or bitter.?If our trust is placed in human beings, we will end up despairing of everyone.”? The Teaching of Disillusionment by Oswald Chambers.

3.?????Place your trust in God alone.?

No human relationship was ever meant to meet our deepest needs as is our relationship with God.?If we place our trust, our security and our significance in God, then we can rise above the disappointments that come our way, because our deepest needs are found in our relationship with Him.

“… our experience of disillusionment may actually leave us cynical and overly critical in our judgement of others.?But the disillusionment that comes from God brings us to the point where we see people as they really are, yet without any cynicism or any stinging and bitter criticism.” Oswald Chambers

Further, we see in the painful consequences that Joseph suffered at the hands of his brothers, that sovereign God was able to take this cruel treatment and use it for good.?Joseph could say with Paul the words of faith that “we know that in all things God works for good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”?Romans 8:18???Placing our trust in God is the only way we can guard the attitudes of our hearts when we experience disappointments and are tempted to feel discouraged.

4.?????Love People Unconditionally.

Peter gives us the key to loving fallen people in a fallen world when he wrote “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.”

And Paul tells us where this love comes from so that we can love fallen people unconditionally when he wrote “God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5:5.?

Consequently we can love others in the same way Jesus loved His disciples “to the very end”. John 13:1. This has been interpreted that He loved His disciples to the end of His life and to the fullest extent possible.

In summary, people may disappoint us, but if our ultimate trust is in God and His purposes for our lives, and if we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we have all we need to live lives free of disillusionment and filled with unconditional love for people in the world in which we live.

Charles Swindall wrote a paper called FIVE LESSONS TO LIVE BY and lesson number two was “Get Over Those Who Disappoint You” and he urges his readers to…. “Refuse to let those people who disappoint you steal your joy or drain your energy.”

In other words, refuse to let people disillusion you. The Bible is full of mentors to help us along life’s journey so remember to..

“Trust in the Lord and do good;

Take delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.?

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this”. Psalm 37:3-5