June 30 - Dennis Blondo

Life is full of disappointments. Some big, some small. In August 2022, I experienced one of life’s minor disappointments. I scheduled a week-long vacation from work and was looking forward to a relaxing week at the beach with my family filled with sunshine and fishing. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate, so I disappointingly spent my vacation at home instead.

God, I would soon learn, had different plans.

One night, I decided to watch episode four of season two of The Chosen. This episode was about Jesus’ healing of the paralytic by the Sheep Gate pool and was a powerful illustration that Jesus was the Son of God as well as Lord over the Sabbath. The way in which the director portrayed this encounter was genius, and it prompted me to study the actual account in John chapter 5 in detail the next morning. Through this study, God reminded me of a precious truth about how to deal with disappointment.

The paralytic had placed his hope in the mystical healing power of the pool. When the water in the pool was stirred up, he tried, without success, to enter the pool to receive healing. The paralytic was looking to the creation, rather than the Creator. He was looking to a man-made object, which can never satisfy, rather than to the Source of Life Himself. To correct this man’s thinking and to show that Jesus alone is sufficient to meet man’s deepest need, Jesus demonstrated that He alone is what is needed and miraculously healed him. The lesson is obvious – man cannot put his hope in this world to meet his needs. Only Jesus, the One in whom is eternal life, can supply the healing this man sought.

I realized I was acting exactly like the paralytic. I was looking to a beach vacation to bring me happiness, peace, and contentment. And when the beach vacation was taken away, disappointment ensued. What I needed to learn was that the very pleasures I was looking for in a vacation could only be found in Jesus – the ever-faithful God who knows exactly what we need, when we need it.

With the distractions of the beach gone, I had extra time to spend studying the Bible, more time to pray, and more time discussing what I learned with my family. In addition to being reminded of the lesson I learned about Christ’s sufficiency, there were other encounters with God that comforted me and guided me throughout the week. By week’s end, I was more rested, more joyful, and more content than any beach vacation could ever offer.

Dear friend, always remember, Jesus never disappoints.