Jesus did not commit Himself to them…, for He knew what was in man. —John 2:24-25
Disillusionment means having no more misconceptions, false impressions, and false judgments in life; it means being free from these deceptions. However, though no longer deceived, our experience of disillusionment may actually leave us cynical and overly critical in our judgment of others. But the disillusionment that comes from God brings us to the point where we see people as they really are, yet without any cynicism or any stinging and bitter criticism. Many of the things in life that inflict the greatest injury, grief, or pain, stem from the fact that we suffer from illusions. We are not true to one another as facts, seeing each other as we really are; we are only true to our misconceived ideas of one another. According to our thinking, everything is either delightful and good, or it is evil, malicious, and cowardly.
Refusing to be disillusioned is the cause of much of the suffering of human life. And this is how that suffering happens— if we love someone, but do not love God, we demand total perfection and righteousness from that person, and when we do not get it we become cruel and vindictive; yet we are demanding of a human being something which he or she cannot possibly give. There is only one Being who can completely satisfy to the absolute depth of the hurting human heart, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord is so obviously uncompromising with regard to every human relationship because He knows that every relationship that is not based on faithfulness to Himself will end in disaster. Our Lord trusted no one, and never placed His faith in people, yet He was never suspicious or bitter. Our Lord’s confidence in God, and in what God’s grace could do for anyone, was so perfect that He never despaired, never giving up hope for any person. If our trust is placed in human beings, we will end up despairing of everyone.
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Journal DJR
Good Morning Lord,
If we break the word disillusion down to mean getting free of illusions which are lies … it makes perfect sense that disillusionment is a good thing. Then clarifying that expecting perfection of people and situations this side of heaven is setting oneself up for disappointment for sure. You are the only one who will not disappoint. And even then, You must be understood correctly.
Yes, when my children come to me and put their expectations which come from the human heart and human understanding, on me … they are setting themselves up for disillusionment, just the same as when they have expectations of their human relationships. Only when you know me as I am, can you rely on me. If you rely on what your church tradition may have taught you … you may be relying on an illusion. You can learn about me academically, but it will never be perfect, so there will be disillusionment. Only through connection and daily communing can you get to know me as I am. Then you can weather the storms and stand with me on the balcony of life, watching the storms rage and remain curious to see how things will work out. When you come up here with me and learn to see through my eyes … everything becomes fascinating, even formerly obnoxious people and stressful situations.
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