There was some kind of lightning in my soul last night. My heart was ignited. Fire won me over.
There was a whipping wind that nearly blew me down, and yet... it proved me strong. Today I am more ...somehow.
There was much rain... and washing... and covering... and consoling. And wrenching of heart, wringing of hands. Wondering how to feel such shapelessness, sharp and dark and overwhelming. Nearly too much, but more likely just so perfect.
And it came seemingly without warning. I didn't see the clouds because I spared not the moment to look around and see...
the Weather forming.
And then one morning I awoke to another ‘day in the Life’ with the thought…
‘The opposite of disappointment is…appointment.’
What??!? I had never considered this Truth, the now obvious, until I was literally awakened to a new understanding of, well, LIFE.
This mindset-changing statement, God-breathed and elevating, has turned my world inside out. It has the incredible power to establish rich freedoms within and without. It is a seed of encouragement to turn over the stone of disappointment and find the wonder of dignity and discovery in a life made on purpose. Redemption in real time.
What is.. LIFE? Is it our experiences…our perceptions…an upside-down-and-around-and-back-again ride of emotion… turmoil… victories? Is it simply the circumstances that we face? Or just the way things appear to be? Or is it ‘other’ than all of these things?
In the beginning, Life was. And this same Life that was, still is. And tomorrow…guess what?… it will continue to be. We all know the beautiful creation story. And we know intimately the disappointment of the fall. And this storyline that formed our alternative thoughts around the One True Life was created by ‘choice.’ Our choice to disagree with God…resulting in… dis-appointment.
But we, by the amazing Grace-gift of Christ, have been re-appointed to LIVE. To LIVE! And by our re-choice to receive abundant life instead of running from it, we no longer have to accept disappointment as our reality. It really is…our choice. No.matter.what.
There is no defeat or failure of expectation, no loss of hope, desire, or design. In pure Life, as defined by the reality that ‘GOD WINS,’ there is no frustration on earth that should ever be allowed to steal an ounce of the joy of this sweet salvation that happens in every moment.
I know full well that we can feel these things… and feel them deeply at times. I know that things don’t always look the way we think they should. I am no stranger to disappointment. In fact, I had made it such a lifestyle and had become so identified with disappointment that I was continually looking for more things by which to feel defeated. And I know many others who are now caught in these cycles because they don’t know another way. And so…I’ll say it again…
‘The opposite of disappointment is…APPOINTMENT.’
So…to what exactly are we appointed?
I’m reminded of the good words in Isaiah 61: ‘…God has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to announce that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of God’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies. He gives beauty for ashes, joy for mourning, praise instead of despair.”
This is a fantastic starting place for understanding how God’s purpose will be fulfilled in us individually…and collectively. This is our intended lifemap.
And in order to be able to do all of this, we must become a living, breathingcelebration of the truly Good News; we must give our eyes to heaven-sight; and we must align our thoughts and speech with the Truth and only the Truth.
On any given day, disappointment might come knocking on our door. We have a choice. It might try to come in the back door. Even if it surprises us, we still have a choice. Just knowing that we have the choice is freedom. Turn the situation over. There’s always two sides to every story.
The more we make LIFE our choice, the more attention we give to ourappointment within it, rather than entertaining disappointment outside of it, the more fixed and settled and established we will be in our new and seemingly miraculous Life habits. Walking in appointment and purposesets things right…if you are willing to try something new, you will stand taller, live stronger every day. AND…it’s way more FUN! (I promise.)
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