Disappointed
“Hope deferred maketh the heart sick, but when a desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life.” Proverbs 13:12 KJV
Have you ever been so disappointed in someone? Maybe they had so much potential and they blew it. It could be they had so much talent yet they thought their natural ability was all they needed to invest to spotlight that talent. Or maybe they were waiting for someone else to discover them, grab their hand, and lead them on an easy path where could take advantage of their talents.
Still others rely on God to do all the work to get them there. If they just pray and read their Bible enough that will make God understand their motives are pure. Okay, they might need to go to church or offer their services to one of the Church’s groups. But faith alone is all they believe they need to be successful with their talents.
Then, there are those who subscribe to the “I’ll scratch your back, if you scratch mine” theory. It’s like their favors are a down payment they hope will be returned to them when they go searching for success. They could serve in a homeless kitchen, watch the neighbor’s kids, or just be plain nice to everyone. “I’m a good person, so success is due to me,” could be their motto.
Caring about what everyone else thinks, might hold others back. Maybe it is a fear of being laughed at, not being respected, or being afraid someone might not want to associate with them. If you don’t take any steps, you don’t have to be worried about stepping in quicksand.
Then there are those who are just plain stubborn. If it doesn’t go exactly the way they want, they don’t want any parts of it. Even though they pretty much know nothing about how to develop their talents, they still believe they are the best one to get them there. “Yep, I know what is best, or works for me,” they proudly boast.
Some are just afraid that if their talents do develop, it might require more of them or change them. Their talents, if really successful, could overshadow who they really are. It might require too much time and their friends might think they are forgetting about them and that they only care about their talent.
No one likes visiting a hospital. I don’t care if you are a parent, sibling, a friend, the CEO of a big company, or even the President or Vice President of the United States, those visits are hard. The trip up the elevator and down the long hallways just seem to bring fear. It’s almost like Death is lurking around every corner and it is just waiting to jump right out and scare you.
I don’t know what it is about hospitals that scares us like that. You may just be visiting an old friend who had a surgery or they might have just had a stupid fall, but visiting them at a hospital is so much different than visiting them at their home.
What’s worse is visiting someone whose odds of survival are against them. What do you say? Is this going to be the last time you see them? Can you hold it all together? You don’t want them to regret that you visited or make them feel like they have to cheer you up.
But you have to go visit them. After all, it’s not about you, it’s about them. They need to be cheered up and there is no person better than you to do that. You need to help them have the courage to keep on pushing forward.
They need to have faith that they can be victorious even if you don’t believe it yourself. You have to find it inside yourself to believe the best. That confidence may be the one thing that helps them get through it.
I’m sure that is exactly how this future President felt as he entered the Bethesda Naval Hospital to see his son. The first hints of anything even being wrong with his son had happened about five years prior. His son’s life had so much more to be lived. Surely, he would pull through this. His son was a fighter who never gave up.
Everyone seems to get excited about moving into a new place. That seems to be the case in the Bible, too. This is a Bible story about just that: moving to a new place.
Moving to a new place is especially nice when you are “moving up.” You try so hard, but all your efforts seem to be going nowhere. Then, one day, your break comes. The storms stop and the sun starts shining brightly.
All is good, so why not start somewhere fresh. This Bible character seemed to finally catch a break. All seemed to be going his way now. The moving van to gather the item and move it to its new location.
He ordered the moving van to go claim his prize and bring it to him. The movers were very carefully placing the items in the back of the truck. They wanted them to arrive in mint condition so the new owner would be proud of their efforts.
To ensure everything went well, the movers left the back door up. They then traveled very slowly, paying close attention so nothing would go wrong. Oh, they couldn’t wait to get the item to the owner and see the complete joy on his face.
I’m sure we could all think of someone who would fit into one of those categories I listed above. We might even know one or two that would fit all or most of the categories. What a waste? So much talent going to waste.
As I started this blog, I was thinking of someone that I believe can fit into almost all those categories. I’ve known him for a very long time. If I weren’t so scared of him, I might actually try to beat some sense into him.
I’m almost certain he knows how disappointed I am in him. If he doesn’t, he would have to be pretty stupid. Still, most of the time, it doesn’t seem to motivate him enough to do something about it. My nagging only seems to make him feel worse.
Joseph, the future President’s son, had so much promise. He was almost a shoe-in to become the next governor of his state. There was even talk that he had presidential potential. His father even said, “He had all the best of me, but with the bugs and flaws engineered out.”
Joseph’s presidential father had spent most of his life in politics. In fact, he was the youngest person ever elected to the US Senate. He was twenty-nine years old when he was elected and the US Constitution states you need to be thirty years old to be a US Senator. He would be thirty before he would be sworn in though.
Joseph had a little bit of a tough upbringing. It wasn’t so much because his father was a US Senator, though. His father made every effort to be home almost every night despite the long commute. He had a loving Mom, a brother and a sister. Family values were always a priority with all of them.
Joseph’s early family life just seemed to be coming together. Then there came that Christmas. Since Dad had just been elected Senator, he was in Washington trying to get a staff together. Still, Mom was very excited about the holidays and she packed the kids in the car to go look for a Christmas tree.
In a moment, Joseph’s whole life changed. His Mom crossed an intersection without looking both ways. A tractor-trailer plowed into her. Joseph, his Mom, his brother, and his sister were rushed to the hospital. His Mom, Neilia, and his 13-month-old sister, Naomi, didn’t make it. They were pronounced dead on their arrival at the hospital.
Joseph, then just four-years-old, and his brother, Hunter, almost 3-years-old, spent several months in the hospital with serious injuries. When both recovered, they encouraged their father to find a new wife and hoped she would be like a second mother to them. Four and a half years later, their father would find that person and marry her. Her name was Jill.
A few years later, Joseph’s Dad and Jill would have a little girl. They would name her Ashley. Now Joseph and Hunter would have a little sister again.
When Joseph “Beau” Biden was almost thirty-eight years old, he became the Attorney General for the state of Delaware. He was very well liked and everyone knew it was just a matter of time before he would succeed in a task that his father had tried and failed many times before: becoming President of the United States. He had so much promise.
Four years after becoming Attorney General, in May 2010, Beau complained of headaches, numbness, and paralysis. He was admitted to Christiana Hospital. It was believed to be a stroke. Later it was discovered to be something much worse: brain cancer.
Brain cancer is one of those really bad cancers. Beau’s chances of recovery did not look good. Still, Beau kept a very positive attitude and promised he would beat it. He refused to let anyone feel sorry for him. Being sorry wasn’t going to beat this cancer, determination was.
Everyone, especially his brother Hunter, was right there for him. His father, Joe Biden, was now Vice President. Beau begged his father not to stop doing what he was doing because of his illness. So, Joe Biden kept his focus on his job even though his heart was with his son.
There were good days and there were bad days, but as the cancer got worse, Beau decided to try some of the experimental drugs that were in the pipeline. To him, what did he have to lose? These extreme measures were quite dangerous and some had been rarely tried before. Still, Beau was determined.
At first, it looked like the choice was a very bad one. The doctors had warned them that it was very difficult, if not impossible, right after the first treatments. True to form, Beau’s condition got extremely grave. But then, Beau seemed to round the corner.
Eventually, Beau was transferred to Bethesda Naval Hospital. Things were really looking up. Everyone’s spirits were starting to rise. Beau was going to make it; they all knew it. Then, almost overnight, Beau’s condition worsened. His Dad, the Vice President, was called to come see his son for the last time.
I’m sure those steps Joe Biden took down the halls of Bethesda Naval Hospital that day were some of the hardest of his life. Another one of the loves of his life was about to be taken away. Not only was this going to be a great personal lost to the Vice President, it was going to be such a great lost to the future. Joe Biden’s son had so much potential and he was never going to have the opportunity to completely use it.
Beau Biden had his Dad, Joe Biden, promise him that he would not let his illness stop him from running for President. Beau understood that the world was a much bigger place than he occupied. Life wasn’t about Beau Biden, it was about making the world a better place.
Since there were no paved roads, to speak of, in Bible times, some of the roads could be quite bumpy. The movers must have been on one of those bumpy roads. They hit one of those bumps and, lo and behold, the precious cargo began to fall out of the van.
One of the movers only had a flash of a second to decide what to do. Should he just let it fall to the ground and have possible permanent damage to the package? No, he wasn’t going to disappoint the person he was going to deliver it to even if it killed him.
Well, that is exactly what happened to the mover. He reached up to secure the item. As he touched the item, his heart stopped and he died.
David had just decided the Ark of God needed to come to Jerusalem to be closer to him. Uzzah and Ahi’o were given the task of moving the Ark. Carefully they placed the Ark on their cart. The cart became a little unstable and Uzzah placed his hand on the Ark to steady it. Immediately Uzzah was struck dead by God.
God only wanted his Ark handled in the manner He had directed. There were no ifs, ands, or buts. Seems like an almost impossible winning situation, doesn’t it. In a split second, Uzzah was only doing what he thought was best.
Sometimes it is really hard to figure out exactly what it is God wants us to do. We get impatient. Things get too hard. Silence seems to be all we hear. Everything seems to be working against us. We act, or should I say we react.
Sometimes it is easy to convince ourselves that we are giving it our all. We try to prove our efforts have the best intentions. Do we ever really listen, or even ask, what God wants us to do?
Uzzah and Ahi’o, in a rush to get the Ark to King David, failed to obey the commands for only a priest to handle the transport of the Ark. God gave in very detailed directions how the Ark should be handled. Their intentions were probably pure, but they weren’t following God’s direction.
Joe Biden could have easily asked, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” He could have pulled out the balloons and streamers for his own pity party. Who could have blamed him? Losing so many loved ones in such tragic situations was a very valid reason to just stop trying.
God calls us to reach inside ourselves and pull out creatures that only He knows are there. A thousand excuses are just earplugs to God. Are we really going to overrule God as to what He can do with us?
Every day I pray for my friend. One day I hope God will open a door for him and my friend will have the courage to walk right in. See, I know he has success in him, getting him to believe that is the problem.
Now, think of a person you know that would fit the most categories above. Do you have them in your mind? I’ve got mine. Every day I get to wake up and go to the mirror and look at him.
