Sometimes we get very tired of people letting us down. We get very frustrated and aggravated when someone doesn’t do what we want them to do or what we believe they should do. We get upset when others don’t follow through with what they said they were going to do. We spend a lot of time and energy getting mad and talking about them when maybe we should spend more time and energy on helping.
Maybe our expectations are too high of them. Maybe they really had good intentions. Or it could be that maybe they just don’t care. It’s really hard to know the real reasons behind why others let us down. When we put our hope in others and expect more than they can deliver, we need to step back and determine if what we are asking of them is realistic. We should think about these things:
Do I really know what is going on in his or her life?
Is what I want important enough to get upset about?
Is there anything I can do to help them out?
What other options do I have rather than to rely on them?
The last question is key. What other options do we have rather than relying on others? When we take the focus off of what they are doing (or not doing) that is really aggravating us, we can step back and see their side of the story. They may be dealing with a frustrating situation we don’t even know about. They may have circumstances beyond their control that keeps them from following through with us. They may not have the knowledge, skill or desire to do what we are asking of them.
Rather than getting aggravated with others when they let us down, let’s look for ways to help them. Let’s look for what we can do for them. Let’s be more concerned about their situation and know that when we help them, it will help us as well. We will become better people. We will become better listeners when we decide to find out what all is going on their lives. We will be able to listen and help.
It’s all about a mindset. We can get irritated and all upset about the situation or we can do something about it. If we choose to let it go and find out how we can help them, we will take the focus off of us and on them. God wants us to stop focusing on ourselves and start focusing on others. When others let us down, that may be God saying “hey, they need your help” and He wants us to use that opportunity to be a witness for Him. God will never let us down so we can always put our hope and trust in Him.