Being A Dartboard Or Becoming A Pipeline

Has any one ever let you down? Have you ever counted on someone to be there for you or to do something only to feel the pain of disappointment, hurt and of being let down? All of us at one time or another have felt this feeling of being let down by others unless you are not a part of the human race.

Parents have been let down by their kids and so have kids by their parents. Husbands have let their wives down and wives their husbands. Friends have been let down by each other. From brethren to mere acquaintances, they all have left us with that awful feeling of being let down. Now in balance we may not have been let down by some of these individuals but of one thing you can be certain; there likely will come a time when they will let you down. However not only have all of us been let down by others but we also have done our fair share of it to others as well.

As a result the point that we can’t miss is that “let downs” seem to be a reality of humanity and we have all experienced these let downs as a recipient or a deliverer. Some have been very difficult while others have been relatively minor but they are nonetheless very real. What are we to do when we feel let down? How should we handle them? How can we deal with them in a God honoring way?

Some time ago I read a very interesting thought that I believe can be helpful in dealing with life's let downs in a way that is effective and God honoring. It went like this: “Don’t let life happen to you. Let life happen through you.”

You know for most of us, many times we would have to say that we allow life to happen to us. Our lives tend to be something like a worn out dartboard where we have been punctured time and time again by others who let us down. As a result we now expend our energy trying to shield off the darts that come flying our way. “I won’t be hurt again!” “They will never be able to let me down and hurt me like that again!” These all represent thoughts that flow through the minds of those who are allowing life to happen to them. Those that live their lives this way are easy to spot. They are the ones that live life with a “chip on their shoulder” and every expression communicates that they are mad at the world. Granted these individuals are the extreme example but their life illustrates what many times our lives demonstrate.

However an alternative is offered in that phrase when it says, “Let life happen through you.” What that is conveying is that our happiness and fulfillment comes in life when we chose to become a pipeline of God’s love flowing to others. Using another analogy. When we chose to be a conduit of God’s mercy in order that others can experience His grace through us, it is then that we live more effectively for Him.

Now at times that can be difficult. There are those who will continually let us down and not respond to life or us in a very nice way. And so the question that we seek an answer for is how do we let life happen through us rather than to us whereby our happiness and fulfillment is not dictated by others letting us down? How can we consistently and effectively be a conduit of God’s grace and mercy so that we are responding to life and others in a God honoring way?

Much of the answer can be discovered if we will really consider and meditate on these words from Isaiah 51:1. “Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn.”

When we will do that there our hope is in an unalterable truth. We will see that the power to deal with “let downs” in life does not reside within our own power or ability but from the Rock that is stronger than I. Through Him we have been given the power to face temptation, to face any challenge, and to face any discouragement which includes the discouragement of someone letting us down. When we will truly rely on His power we will find strength to be a pipeline and less of a dartboard. We will be a little farther on the journey of understanding what it means to be living life loved.