Do you ever feel like you are a disappointment to God? That you don’t measure up? That your blunders and weaknesses are constantly under the spotlight of His judgment?

“God must be so disappointed as He looks at my faults and failures… He must be displeased that I can’t get it right.”

Many leaders feel like they habitually fall short, thus assuming that God is disappointed in them. But is He? Is God disappointed with you?

If you find yourself asking this question, here are a few thoughts that I hope encourage you and give you insight into the feelings that God has towards you.

Defining Disappointment

The word disappointment means that a person expects that an outcome will be one thing, when in fact it turns out to be another way. It involves surprise and frustration. Disappointment is the result of an unfulfilled or unrealized expectation. [1]

Is God surprised by our sin?

The question arises: Can a sovereign God be surprised? Does anything about our sin, failures, weaknesses or faults surprise God? Is there any way to catch God off guard? The answer is NO! God is sovereign, infinite and all-knowing. He knew you before you were born (Psalms 139:13). He knows your struggles, your weaknesses and your shortcomings, and He has never been surprised by them. His response?

God’s Response to knowing our sin?

Instead of begrudgingly putting up with you and saying, “I wish she was better than that,” He actually did the opposite. In love, He died for you. He sent Jesus to the cross in order to account for your sin once and for all. At the cross, “God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them” (2 Corinthians 5:19).

He wasn’t surprised, God hates sin and He knew you would fall into its snare, so He provided a way out through Jesus’ shed blood on the cross. The bottom line is that Jesus loves you!

Failure? Flop? Regret? Disappointment? No. That is not how God sees you. He sees you from His love.

God’s approach with us

God does not identify us by our sin. We may hold firmly onto our weaknesses and clench tightly to our mistakes, but God doesn’t. “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ” (Romans 8:1).

Does this mean we should overlook our sins? Not at all. When we see issues in our lives, we are asked to take them seriously and come to God in order to learn and grow in His likeness.

What it does mean though, is that God is not discouraged by our flaws, like we so often are. He is not disappointed, but rather He sees their power as already dissolved by the cross.

Through God’s eyes

If God doesn’t see me as a disappointment, then how does He see me?? According to the Bible God sees you as:

  • Beautiful – Fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalms 139:14)
  • His child – Adopted and loved (John 1:12)
  • Chosen – (Ephesians 1:4)
  • Forgiven – (Colossians 2:13-14)
  • Strengthened – (Philippians 4:13)
  • Righteous – Justified (Romans 3:22)

God loves you, and He will never leave you nor forsake you (Deut. 31:6). Through all your ups and downs, He has never taken His eyes off of you, for you are woven into His own heart. Disappointed? No, just the opposite. The precious and freeing truth that God wants you to receive is that you are beautiful and He is pleased with you. He even “rejoices with singing over you” (Zephaniah 3:17).

The next time you fail, don’t dwell on your faults. Don’t assume God is disappointed in you, but rather accept His love in full. There is nothing you can do today to make Him love you more, and nothing you might invent to make Him love you less. He simply loves you because He loves you. That’s just who He is.

Remember, Jesus came for the spiritually weak, for broken people who live imperfect lives, for those who don’t have it all together, for the serial failures and habitual mess-ups. He came and died for me and you! [2]

Growth Point:

God is not disappointed in our weaknesses but rather has chosen to love us and delight in us.

Scripture Point:

Read Romans 8:1. How is this truth shaping your thinking?

Action Point:

Intentionally remind yourself this week of God’s love for you. Take one of the verses mentioned above in the “Through God’s eyes” section and repeat it each morning as you wake up. Allow this truth to jumpstart your day.

 

[1] http://www.portrait-of-grace.com/2014/05/can-you-disappoint-god.html

[2] http://religionnews.com/2013/06/21/does-god-get-disappointed-with-us/

http://mypurposenow.org/?p=1894

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god/practical-faith/no-god-not-disappointed-you