We Had Hoped: Disappointment on the Road to Emmaus

Down one run in the bottom of the ninth with bases loaded, Johnny had the chance to bring home the winning run.  But he was caught looking:  strike three.  The game was lost.  He had hoped to be the hero, but it did not come to pass.  Down the road to Emmaus he walked.

 

Prom night was fast approaching.  Samantha still did not have a date.  She really wanted to go with Jack.  They had been friends forever.  And now their friendship seemed like it was becoming something more.  Deciding to ask him herself, Samantha approached him at his locker.  Her question received only a somber reply: “I’m already going with Julie.  I’m sorry.”  Samantha had hoped, but her hope did not come to pass.  Down the road to Emmaus she walked.

 

Tessa always dreamed of growing old with Doug.  They met in college and were married after they both graduated.  Having a family with him and their 3 kids was amazing to her: not always easy, but they were in it together.  Then Tessa saw the text message on Doug’s phone.  As the phone came crashing down on the floor out of her hands, so did her entire world.  Doug had fallen out of love and was seeing someone else.  Tessa had hoped to grow old with him, but her hope did not come to pass.  Down the road to Emmaus she walked.

 

The Catholic faith was always important to Tim.  He worked so hard to raise his kids in the church and to set an example.  Now his kids were adults.  They were married or off in college.   Not one of them practiced their faith anymore.  Tim had hoped they would remain faithful Catholics, but his hope had not come to pass.  Down the road to Emmaus he walked. 

 

Mark couldn’t wait to begin retirement.  He had all the golf courses mapped out where he would play.  He had his fishing poles strung up.  His tackle box ready to go.  He even purchased a used fishing boat.  Then the doc came back with the x-rays.  It was not good.  It would not be good.  Mark had hoped, but his hope would not come to pass.  Down the road to Emmaus he walked.

Each of us in our own way walks down that road to Emmaus. Disappointment is probably one of the most difficult things in life to integrate.  And it is unavoidable.  It’s the sadness that keeps us up at night.  It’s the gut wrenching feeling that we have lost it all.  It’s the fear that everything we desired is slipping through our fingers.  It’s screaming at God asking him why this had to happen.  And we don’t know where to turn.  We can’t see clearly.  And very often we lose sight of faith and become angry, bitter and distrustful towards God.

 

The two disciples on the road to Emmaus had hoped for so many things, too.   They hoped for a promise.  They hoped for a savior.  They hoped for the one who would redeem Israel.  But with eyes downcast and hearts confused and saddened it seemed they had hoped in vain.  Their disappointment was great.  Three days had passed.  Was Jesus a liar?  Why would he have misled them?  Didn’t he care for them? But what of the stories those women had told them? He is risen?  The tomb is empty?  Those can’t be true, can they?

 

The thing about disappointment, pain and despair is that it clouds our vision.  It keeps us from seeing something more.  The disciples could not see through their sorrowful eyes that Jesus was right in their midst.  For us too, even though our own disappointments, tragedies and sadness are truly sad, tragic and disappointing, the real tragedy is that they can keep us from seeing the overall picture.  The real tragedy is that oftentimes they cloud our vision from seeing Jesus right in our midst. 

 

Perhaps Johnny becomes a world renowned science professor rather than a baseball player. 

Perhaps Samantha goes to prom with Kyle rather than Jack and falls in love with him.

Perhaps Tessa and her boys become closer after Doug leaves them.

Perhaps Tim’s children find their way to faith, but in their own way.

Perhaps Mark spends his last days with his kids rather than the fish.

Perhaps the disciples believe in the resurrection and give their lives to spreading that message.

I won’t ever know the disappointments and sadness that each of you has had to face in life.  I am aware of some of them.  But only an individual heart can fully bear the pain of the tragedies we experience.  I have been blessed in life, but I certainly have had my own disappointments.  God does not desire them to happen.  But unfortunately they do.

 

But what the Scriptures promise us is not the disappointments will go away.  But that in the midst of our disappointment, especially in the midst of disappointment, Jesus will walk up to us and meet us.  He will walk by our side.  He will always be with us.

 

There is a famous poem that my grandma always read to me, and that I am sure you all are familiar with.  As we journey to Emmaus together, I think it is worth sharing again.  It goes:

 

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.

In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two   sets of footprints, other times there was only one.

This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my       life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could      see only one set of footprints, so I said to the Lord,

“You promised me Lord,

          that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have   noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed   you most, have you not been there for me?”

The Lord replied, “The years when you have seen only one set of     footprints, my child, is when I carried you.”