Avoiding Bitterness in the Disappointment of Man

There comes a time in most any Christian’s life when they find themselves faced with disappointment in someone they deeply admired. Perhaps it is a family member, close friend, mentor, teacher, or spiritual leader whom we discover has concealed sin in their life, or been revealed to have lived a sort of double life where they didn’t practice what they preached.

This occurrence tends to be a wide door to extreme disappointment, bitterness, resentment and uncertainty. If someone whom we respected so much for their faith and walk with God fell, how are we safe? We may even question whether any of it was ever real. Were they ever really saved? Did God really speak to me through them?

All of these questions are natural. Finding ourselves disappointed in people whom we deeply respected isn’t going to feel good. But the Bible does give us cues on how to cope. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

All fall short.
Romans 3:23 tells us that we all have sinned and fall short of God’s standards. It isn’t up to us to rate sin or compare ourselves to others—the truth is that we are all in the same boat and in need of salvation.

Men will fail us.
The Bible is full of warnings to not put our faith in man. In just one of those warnings, Psalm 146:3 tells us not to put our trust in humans, who all lack the power to save. It’s not uncommon to find ourselves disappointed in the actions and words of other people, but our God will never forsake us.

We must fix our eyes on Christ.
Hebrews 12:2 reminds us that our focus is to be on Jesus. It’s another reminder that we aren’t called to be like anyone else but Christ. We all may stumble, but the only one who can sustain us is Jesus. Not a teacher, or friend, or any other person.

Dealing with disappointment in those we look up to will never be easy, but it is an opportunity to build our own faith and learn even more about God’s grace.