“I again saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift and the battle is not to the warriors, and neither is bread to the wise nor wealth to the discerning nor favor to men of ability; for time and chance overtake them all.”
Ecclesiastes 9:11
Have you ever felt your effort, initiative, or investment did not end how you expected? Has there ever been a time, season, or circumstance when the direction you thought things would go did not end up as anticipated?
What are we to do in those seasons? How are we to respond?
For the Christian, while we may entertain a time of self-loathing, discouragement, and even despair, we must press on in obedience, faithfulness, and hope. That doesn’t mean the pain, shock, or even disappointment disappears. In fact, it probably won’t. However, the Christian has an anchor of the soul (Heb 6:19) that goes beyond the circumstance(s), enabling them to be the most honest with unmet expectations and still the most hopeful at the same time.
It’s not that we don’t know that all things work together for good (Rom 8:28), which we do. It’s not that we don’t believe that trials produce endurance, leading to the mature person (James 1:2-4), which we trust they will. The bottom line is that we (1) have difficulty facing unmet expectations and (2) don’t like the discomfort it produces.
Taking It Deeper…
- Is it possible to be struggling in your marriage and observe what appears to be a happily married couple enjoying each other and life the way you want to enjoy life with your spouse? Is it also possible in that moment to question your marriage and the work or investment you put in, hoping to experience the same level of joy in those moments?
- Can a workplace situation not work out as anticipated, and then observe someone or a company find success right next to you or in your same line of work? Is it also possible in that unmet expectation to doubt if your investment in the workplace or company was even worth the effort?
- Can a person be wrestling with their singleness, desiring companionship with a spouse, see their friends around them getting engaged or having their first kids, and wonder what’s wrong with their situation? Is it conceivable in those moments to question a commitment to God’s Word and His best for how they should relate, respond, and enjoy relationships?
- Are there times when you see children in other families seeming to obey and act respectful and loving to their siblings and parents and question why your kids’ attitudes, actions, and arguments seem to be bringing a collapse to modern civilization?
On the one hand, when we face situations like the examples above, we run through at least two incorrect thoughts with resulting faulty assumptions:
- Incorrect thought 1: They must have done things just right…
- Faulty assumption: They are awesome!
- Incorrect thought 2: We must have done things wrong…
- Faulty assumption: We are terrible!
On the other hand, when we remember–in the face of unmet expectations–that life is mysterious and God’s work is completed in complex ways, we are then able to align ourselves to His Truth, walking rightly in His way, staying faithful to what we can clearly see. In that frame of mind, we can preach at least two correct thoughts to ourselves with resulting sound assumptions:
- Correct thought 1: God is sovereign over creation and all that it contains, which means there is a mystery to the process and results of circumstances that combine good and bad in a world riddled with sin but will ultimately end in good and glory.
- Sound assumption: Though circumstances turn out what appears to be well for another person or people and what seems to be poor for us, there are still challenges, and things aren’t as perfect or as flawed as they may seem.
- Correct thought 2: Our investment in relationships, workplace situations, family, etc., is not for naught because goodness originates in God, and He will bring His goodness to pass in His time and way.
- Sound assumption: God uses time and faithfulness to produce a beautiful mosaic of maturity and promise of reward.
How Does This Apply To Us Today?
- Avoid taking too much credit when things go well…
- Avoid taking too much blame when things don’t…
“Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? “Now gird up your loins like a man, and I will ask you, and you instruct Me! “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have an understanding, who set its measurements? Since you know.” Job 38:1-5a
Then Job answered the Lord and said, “I know that You can do all things and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore, I have declared that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.” ‘Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct me.’ “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees You; therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes.” Job 42:1-6
— October 5, 2023