Total Disillusionment

The disillusionment with our own abilities is, perhaps, one of the most important things that can ever happen to us.
~Tim Hansel

A large measure of disappointment with God stems from disillusionment with other Christians.
~Philip Yancey (1949- )

Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.
~ James 1:16-18

Oh beloved, most people are just selfish. Those closest to us betray our confidences. The people we thought we knew, are simply not the people we thought they were. Just when we think we know someone – we find out we were totally wrong.

Some of us are consecrated warriors of the cross. We, in all ways, desire (though often fail!) to live only for the Glory of G_d. Our lives are an offering willingly, and joyfully poured out to Him. We have come to the fully-persuaded conclusion that this is the only reasonable service to our Master who has mightily saved us from the fetid pools of our former lives. And it is living in this rare air where we come to realize just how narrow the wicket gate really is – and how few of us (by His Grace) actually come through into a life of absolute surrender.

The people we thought we were sitting on the same side of the table with – reading off the same page of material – are not. They are not enemies, but they are indeed a party across the table. They are people who have made themselves adversaries in some process of negotiation.

And then, worst of all, we come to realize that one of the most brutal enemies in our existence is not outside of us. It is us. Our old man, that flesh and the intellect born of our incredible brains has been stained by the curse of the fall of mankind. We, in and of ourselves, are desperately evil creatures with a capacity for unfathomable yuckiness towards others and our own selves.

And this is very good news!

What?

Yeah, this is very good news.

Dear friends, we were indeed made to be in relationships, even vital relationships with each other. But we were only designed to extract life and true satisfaction from one of those relationships. That relationship is with G_d, through the person of Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Surely G_d knows and cares deeply about our needs. But He knows something that we often forget. People are but dust. They are fallen, broken individuals to be simply loved. And this love is to be poured out on people in such a way that we can never hope to receive it back. So, as we pour out on others we have to realize that we too are incredibly dusty and totally empty of any love in our own tanks.

Said simply: We must get ALL our Love and Life and hope and purpose and fulfillment from G_d. He is the only true source of these vital things. 

Read this again. Read it slowly. G_d is the only source of true Life and Love and hope. If we go anywhere else for any of these things – we will absolutely die. It might take a few minutes, hours, days, months, or years, but we will surely die.

However, once we become persuaded that He is indeed our only Hope, and look to Him alone for the same, there is this gorgeous thing that comes alive in us. We become new. We become new in such a way that we no longer need or even believe we need to have other people bring fulfillment to our life. And here is where it gets a bit strangerer and strangerer. In giving up our hope in people, we can simply love them for who they are. In giving up hope in people, we can simply accept the love they give to us for what it is. And we can do all these things without strings, or the need for some sort of fairness or judgement.

So, are you totally disillusioned with the people and the world around you? Are you completely disappointed in yourself? Maybe this is a really good place to be! Maybe this is the moment where you can fully turn to the One who will never let you down.