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| Cape Disappointment, WA |
Are you a Sinker, Swimmer, Duck or a Sailor?
Life is full of disappointments. Some are harder to overcome than others. There are people who never seem to get past
being let down. In contrast, there are
those who have no problem letting go and moving on, completely unfazed by
disappointment. Of course, there are
those who are situated between the two extremes.
I call
those individuals who can’t get over hardships, “sinkers.” These folks let the woes of life
weigh them down, causing them to sink, dragging them to the bottom, where they
live life among the pond scum of despair. Yuck, no thank you.
Those in the middle are the “swimmers”; they
tread the waters and become one with the waves of life. Although exhausted and
often short-sighted, they are determined to fight the currents and rip tides of
their situation at all costs.
Next are
the “ducks”, those that seem to peacefully glide upon the pools of disappointment,
allowing the waters to flow off their backs. Meanwhile, their submerged duck feet are frantically
paddling, hidden from the view of others.
Lastly, are the “sailors,” those who
sail the seas of disillusionment, by catching the wind in their sails, and tacking
tenaciously through it. Reveling in the
breeze and the ocean spray, they breathe in deeply, daring the ocean of
adversity to challenge their assured, “never gonna sink me” buoyancy.
I think I reside somewhere in the middle. I do my best to
swim, but mostly I am a duck! I have had
my share of life’s disappointments, times of trial, betrayals, and unmet
expectations. Like you, I have been sadden and disheartened in life. Ill-spoken
and berating words have burdened my mind polluting my outlook. Countless times,
I have been drenched with “when it rains it pours” mishaps and I’ve had my
feathers ruffled by numerous “seriously, I can’t believe you did that” callous
acts. But, I keep moving my duck feet,
skimming through the ripples of life, allowing for the waters of disappointment
to bead and eventually roll off my back.
Recently, I acknowledged to myself and my husband, that I
have never really been much of a dreamer. (Maybe, it was one of those unique
times to “confess your faults one to another.”
I am not sure; I’ll let you decide.) Anyway, even as a child, I did not
set my hope toward any fulfillment of dreams. I cannot recall ever wishing for
a certain gift for my birthday or Christmas, nor a trip to somewhere special
like Disneyland. I think I have journeyed
through my life in a semi-content manner, taking the good with the bad.
Now, with my life past its midway point, I ponder this
perspective. I have spent my life
encouraging others to dream, to be the best they can be, to stretch toward
purpose and lean into their God-given destiny.
Yet, I remain a duck on the pond of life. To be honest, I enjoy being a duck,
especially the years of having and raising ducklings. My duck feet paddle with
exuberance at the sight of my children taking flight and soaring, migrating the
hopes and aspirations of their lives. I have been known to squawk as well,
don’t mess with my ducklings, for if you do, you will hear a mouth full of
complaint! At times, I have chased and nipped at the heels of unwanted
predators.
However, in this season of life, I think I would like to be
a sailor. Even as I type, this thought
causes me to smile and inwardly chuckle.
Is it really possible to change my outlook after all of these years? The old adage, “People change, but not much”
is whispering in my ear. Furthermore, I use to have a major issue with
boats! True, several years ago, I faced
that fear by going to Catalina Island, but still. I guess we will have to wait and see. Oh no, I didn’t! Oh yes, I did. I said, “Wait and see.”
Wait, hope and expect
.... oh my!
“Wait and hope for and expect the Lord; be brave and of good
courage and let your heart be stout and enduring. Yes, wait for and hope for
and expect the Lord” (Psalm 27:14- Amplified).
Wait, hope and expect, must be
important because they were mentioned twice in one verse!
By nature, I do not wait well. However, I have worked diligently at
improving my patience level. (I can
thank my children for helping me with this endeavor.) Hope... I love hope; I choose to be a
prisoner of hope (Zechariah 9:12). Nothing
breaks my heart more, than the words “I have given up, there is no hope.” Please,
please never surrender your hope! Expect... okay, now we are getting to the
nitty-gritty. Expect means to look forward to and anticipate the occurrence of
something. Sounds a whole lot like dreaming to me. I guess in reality, I hope
to be able to dream at some point of my life.
Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream Speech” still resounds
today. He had a dream, and he looked
forward to the day when his dream would be realized. To our dismay, his life
was taken prior to the fulfillment of his dream. But, you and I have the
opportunity to live out Dr. King’s dream.
Joseph had a dream. Yet, he endured the pit and prison before he enjoyed
his appointment to palace. Moses led a stiff-necked generation of people
through the desert for forty years, enduring a sea of endless complaints. Moses
never entered the Promised Land, but he entered the presence of God many times.
Dr. King, Joseph, Moses, the Apostle
Paul, Abraham Lincoln, Mother Theresa, Thomas Edison, the list goes on and
on. These unique and honorable
individuals faced disappointments like sailors.
They got hit, tossed and turned by gale forces several times, but each time
they got back up. They suffered harsh conditions, yet, maneuvered their course,
standing courageously against adversity. They never lost their resolve.
We admire these noble men.
Our mindsets should be challenged to move past admiration and into action.
We need to gather around “sailors,” men
and women who defy disappointment. We
need to have them rub off on us. We must
gather the courage to get on board and set sail on the voyage of discovery,
hoping and expecting that we will
reach the other side, achieving our dream. Being surrounded by military
personnel, I can hear my Navy friends, shouting “Go Navy!” Ha-ha Regardless of what branch of military or walk
of life we are in, it is our responsibility to “be present and accounted for” our
preordained appointments.
“For we are God's [own] handiwork (His workmanship),
recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which
God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared
ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He
prearranged and made ready for us to live]” (Ephesians 2: 10 – The Amplified).
According to Ecclesiastes 3: 17, there is an appointed time
for every matter and purpose and for every work. Simply put, an appointment is
a prearranged, agreed upon, designated place in time to be. Disappointment
occurs when we don’t show up, or we are late! Disappointment is a failure to
keep an appointment. If I may go one step further, disappointment occurs when
we are not on point. When we are on point, we have understanding of where
we are to be at any given time (our appointment). When we are on point, we are “ready to perform and
get down to business” (Urban Dictionary).
If we are not on point we are
living haphazardly, without purpose, becoming open targets for failure and
discontentment. When the time came for Joseph’s
appointment to the palace, he was ready, willing to get down to performing
Pharaoh’s business. Dr. King and Moses,
both leaders of perverse generations, kept their appointments with their
destiny as well. They were in the right
place, at the right time, they were on point, making a way for others to
follow.
“What can we gain by sailing to the moon if we are not able
to cross the abyss that separates us from ourselves? This is the most important
of all voyages of discovery, and without it, all the rest are not only useless,
but disastrous.” - Thomas Merton
So today, I ask you:
Are you disappointed? If so, Don’t
Sink! You have only been knocked down. Don’t let the waves keep you floundering,
reach out and grab hold of the Life Savior. “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the
crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18). In our weakness, He is strong. The Lord is our protector, our strong tower; in Him we find refuge. Are you at your designated place? If
not, get on board, be on time and show up! I have spent most of my life,
managing and controlling, which of course does not leave much time for dreaming.
But, now I believe it is time for a change.
How about you? Our visions, our dreams are for an appointed time and they
hasten to be fulfilled. Our purpose, our God-given dreams will not deceive or
disappoint us. Though some may tarry, it is imperative that we wait for them.
We can’t give up because they will surely come; they will not be late on their
appointed day (Habakkuk 2: 3). Lastly
remember, this is our time, we were born for such a time as this (Esther 4:14).
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the
things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines.
Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore.
Dream. Discover.” - Mark Twain
"Let us go over to the other side ... So they got
into a boat and set out” (Luke 8:22 NIV).
Join me as we set our sails into the great beyond.... beyond
grief, beyond despair, beyond failure, beyond betrayal, beyond doubt, beyond
fear, beyond guilt, beyond frustrated expectations. Set your bearing, pick your
point on the horizon, and set sail. I’ll be waiting for you, see you on the
other side.
If you enjoyed what you read in my blog, I encourage you to read my book
- Exposed!
