The other day, I planned a vacation for my wife—something that I thought would be a delightful escape for her on her birthday, crafted with care and anticipation of her joy. But when she asked me to change it, frustration crept in. I wasn’t upset just because of the logistics or the effort wasted; it was the feeling of having something good rejected, of love misread and intentions misunderstood. It stung in a way that went deeper than the canceled plans.
As I wrestled with that frustration, a thought surfaced: how often does God feel this way? After all, He has gone to extraordinary lengths to prepare something wonderful for us—far beyond a vacation. The Bible paints vivid pictures of what He has in store: a place with no more pain, no more tears, a home where joy never ends. Yet, it seems that so many people either don't want it or are too distracted by other things to care. Even those who claim to want what God offers often seem more captivated by the temporary than the eternal.
So, does God feel disappointed, too?
The Bible suggests that God DOES experience emotions, deeply. Genesis 6:6 tells us that God was "grieved in His heart" at human wickedness. Jesus Himself wept over Jerusalem, lamenting how often He had wanted to gather its people like a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but they were not willing (Matthew 23:37). These glimpses show us that God isn’t detached; He is personally invested in us, affected by our choices, and moved by our rejections.
However, God's disappointment isn’t like ours—tinged with helplessness or uncertainty. His disappointment is different because He sees the whole picture. While we plan vacations with a mix of hope and uncertainty, God knows the end from the beginning. His disappointment is woven with a love so deep that He continues to pursue us, even when we dismiss what He offers.
Perhaps God’s feelings are more like those of a parent whose child turns away from a carefully prepared gift—not out of indifference but out of misunderstanding or distraction. The frustration isn’t about the effort wasted but about the loss of what could have been—a missed joy, a fractured relationship, an unrealized hope.
In the end, the frustration I felt over the vacation plans was a small echo of God’s own longing for us to accept what He has prepared. It was a reminder that love, by its very nature, risks rejection. And yet, God’s love remains unshaken, undiminished, and relentless in its pursuit.
So, the next time you or I feel that sting of disappointment, it should be an invitation to pause and consider what God has prepared for you and for me—and to ask if we are the ones too distracted to see it.
Perhaps God’s feelings are more like those of a parent whose child turns away from a carefully prepared gift.
