In just a few weeks many of us with school-age kids will be sending them off for the next chapter in their educational lives. Others of us who home school will be calling them to the kitchen table for the same purpose.In either case, an unintended relationship lesson kids learn at one point or another in their schooling is that people will disappoint us.
Today’s episode is about how we can respond to this disappointment in ways that will bring out the best in us. Regardless if we’re in kindergarten, or a graduate of the School Hard Knocks, class of 1958 and beyond.
But before we get into all this here’s CarolWelcome to You Were Made for This. If you find yourself wanting more from your relationships, you’ve come to the right place. Here you’ll discover practical principles you can use to experience the life-giving relationships you were made for. And now, here is your host, John Certalic.
Hey thank you, Carol, and yes it’s me, John Certalic. I’m your award-winning author and relationship coach, here to help you find more joy in the relationships God designed for you.
If you’re new to the podcast, the easiest way to access upcoming episodes is to go to JohnCertalic.com and click on the follow or subscribe button. That’s John with an “H” and Certalic with a “C” at the beginning and the end. Dot
com. You’ll then get a brief email each week with a link to the latest episode, together with a description of what it’s about.
For today I have a story that’s an encore from way back in episode 53. It involves snow. And lots of it. Which is especially pleasant to think about in light of the heat wave sweeping across the US and Europe here in August of 2022.
It’s a story about one of my grandkids who saw first-hand how people disappoint us. And then I’ll have a few comments from me on how we can respond to this disappointment, regardless of our age or where we are in life.
Let’s begin.
Children lose their innocence when they see how people disappoint usIf you have ever spent any significant time around children, do you remember the times your heart ached for them when they discovered that life can be harsh? Where they experienced the sadness of relational pain?
When your child’s network of friends all get invited to a birthday party, except your kid? When a child’s favorite pet dies? When all you teenager’s friends have been asked to homecoming, but not yours?
These examples raise the question of “Who’s going to be there for me when I need them?” When children face the harsh reality that people they thought would be there for them, aren’t, we call it a loss of innocence.
You see this theme in literature all the time. To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic example. Scout, the young girl in the story comes face to face with the racism she sees in the adults her small town in the South.
And loss of innocence doesn’t stop with childhood. Let me share a story that illustrates this, and then a way we can best deal with this inconvenient relationship reality.
Help from our grandsonAt the end of a conversation about some small talk regarding other things, George brought up his shoveling experience again and said,
I was out there a long time shoveling, and after awhile, I wondered why none of your neighbors stopped over to ask if they could help. I mean, when our neighbor Mrs. Fibeena was alive, Grant and I would always shovel her driveway. And our neighbor Don across the street, we shoveled the driveway for him, and now for his wife since he died last year. But none of your neighbors offered to help shovel.
Ask God for the wisdom and power to:
When people you thought would be there for you, fail to show up, respond with grace. Ask God to help you to be there for others, even if they don’t show up for you. Because after all, You Were Made for This.
ClosingIn closing, I hope your thinking was stimulated by today’s show, enough to respond in healthy ways when people disappoint us. For when you do, it will help you experience the joy of relationships God intends for you.
Well, that’s it for today. Please consider telling others about this podcast if you think it would be interesting and helpful to them. And don’t forget to spread a little relational sunshine around the people you meet this week. Spark some joy for them. And I’ll see you again next time.
Our website where you can access all past and future episodesJohnCertalic.com
Related episodes you may want to listen to139: Why Should I Listen to This Podcast?
Our SponsorYou Were Made for This is sponsored by Caring for Others, a missionary care ministry. The generosity of people like you supports our ministry. It enables us to continue this weekly podcast and other services we provide to missionaries around the world.
218: It’s Better to Listen Than to Talk
217: God Will Surprise Us
216: Our Past Helps Us Understand Our Present
215: Searching for My Birth Father
214: People Are Like Houses
213: Five Things to Watch for in Your Next Conversation
212: Little Things We Do Matter the Most to People
211: A Men’s Breakfast Like No Other
210: Word of the Year for 2024 - Curious
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207: How to Help the People We Love At Christmas
206: Thankful for the Stories of Others
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204: Deep Conversations
203: Three Reasons for Being Stingy in Sharing Your Story
202: The Best Stories
201: Three Relationship Tools to Remember in September
200: Give People the Gift of Hope
199: How to Help a Friend
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