No Disappointing God

 It happened again.  I read a devotional the other day that ended with, "...we must not let God down."  And I took my pen and crossed it out.  "Be gone, harmful idea!"

If it were possible to take a phrase and do an autopsy on it, we would find more than the origins and use of a particular word -- the etymology.  We'd uncover the raw human emotion, anxiety, and fear behind the phrase.  And I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that this claim that we sometimes disappoint God is really  about shame and a lack of self-love.

This concept of disappointing God -- who started this?  I know the Apostle Paul instructs his followers to live a life that is pleasing to God.  But the opposite -- displeasing -- is not the same as disappointing.  (And frankly I'm going to have to meditate on the idea of displeasing God.)

First, I highly, highly doubt that our behaviors, choices and actions have the power to affect God's "mood" one way or the other.  Are you telling me that an all-knowing, all-powerful, all-present, all-loving God gets thrown into a funk over something one of us does?  Come on!  

Let me make an analogy of sorts... Have you ever seen ants dragging a roach carcass across the sidewalk and thought, "I'm so disappointed in those ants!"  No! Because we understand that they are ants and that's what ants do.  Now I can get annoyed at the ants if they have infested my kitchen.  But that's more about affecting my quality of life.  

There is no way any of us have the power to affect God's "quality of life" (which seems like a ridiculous concept in the first place where God is concerned).  Or put God in a bad mood.  I know there are Old Testament scriptures that outright say, "...and the Lord regretted...."  Even if it were possible for an all-knowing God to regret God's actions, which would seem to imply a bad or foolish move, God is constantly switching and adjusting (or standing firm and not adjusting) in response to God's children.  Every dunder-headed action that we take, God makes an instantaneous Divine adjustment or stands firm.  Everything, everything has the potential to work for good for those who love God (and even for those who don't, because that is what Divine love and prevenient grace -- the grace that goes before -- demonstrates).

Let's not forget the words of the Lord recorded in Isaiah ... "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."  I mean, seriously, good luck keeping up with God's ways and thoughts!

Second, the very meaning of the word "disappoint" implies our (human) reaction when something does not turn out the way we thought it would.  God is all-knowing, and that means God knows us completely.  And God is everywhere at once -- past, present, future.  God sees all.  What can we possibly do or say or think that is a surprise to God?  Are you telling me that in response to human behavior, God says, "O wow, I didn't see that coming!"  No! Of course not.

This is just a theory, but I wonder if it's our own struggles with misplaced guilt, shame and self-loathing that sets us on this path of believing that God -- the most powerful being in the universe -- is disappointed in us.  It reminds me of Sally -- the little sister of Charlie Brown -- when she messes up her line in the Christmas play in "It's Christmas Time Again, Charlie Brown."  She's supposed to say "Hark!"  But instead, she says, "Hockey stick!"  Later, reflecting on her mortifying error, she laments, "I said hockey stick!  Why did I say hockey stick? All I had to say was 'hark,' and I said hockey stick.  I ruined the whole Christmas paly.  Everybody hates me.  Moses mates me, Luke hates me, the Apostles hate me. All 50 of them."  Maybe you chuckle as your read these words and think, "poor little Sally."  But there it is -- believing that our mistakes have this gigantic effect on things and everyone, including God, hates us.  We simply are not that powerful!

So ... the next time you feel tempted to hate on yourself and think, "I am such a disappointment to God..." I pray that the part of you that believes in God's infinite and endless love will stop you.  Try one of these mantras instead:

* I am a beloved child of God.  
* The Lord takes delight in me.  
* There is nothing I can do, think or say that will make God love me any more or any less

You may be disappointed in yourself at times, but take it easy!  God will never give up on you; and I'll venture a guess that are people in your life who never will either.  So give yourself a big hug and get back out there!