Disappointment

(Job 32:9 KJV) Great men are not always wise: neither do the aged understand judgment.

This scripture is not only thought provoking, but it clearly shows that things are not always as they appear to be. I must admit after reading this scripture that I wondered if I am what I appear to be to others. Perhaps it depends on who the others are.

Do others see me as a man of my word or do they see me as one who has to have allowances made for me because my results does not always match my word?

A good way to tell if a person is what they appear to be is to watch how they value time. For example, if they are always late for things, then it would not seem wise to trust them to cover your back. I have friends whom I dearly love, but I would never go into battle with them because I could never trust them to be there.

According to our text just because one is a “great man” does not necessarily mean that he is a wise one. One can have grandeur and dignity and still be void of wisdom.

Our text also says that “neither do the aged understand judgment.”  I find that interesting because one would think that if anyone should understand judgment it would be the aged. If that is the case then the aged are not always what they appear to be.

Speaking of people not being what they appear to be…I have a very embarrassing story to share on that subject.

I had a friend once who owned a big beautiful yacht. He invited my family and me to go deep-sea-fishing with him in the Gulf of Mexico. He also invited another man and his family to go along with us as well. The other man had two little sons. All of us guys were very excited about this fishing trip.

After a while the captain of the yacht said, “Well, I think this is a good place to bait the lines and start fishing.” I had barely thrown my line out when I hooked something. I did not know what it was because it never came out of the water, but I did know it had to be something big. I pulled and worked my reel for the next thirty minutes trying to get my catch in without losing it.

While I was working and sweating the man kept saying to his two young sons, “Boys, keep your eyes on Mr. Dean because he will show you the real way to reel in a big fish. Notice the artful way he is working the reel…I have never seen anything like this in my life.” They watched me intently for the next thirty minutes encouraging me every step of the way. As a matter of fact I am not sure I could have done it if it had not been for their inspiration and encouragement.

Thirty minutes later I finally got my catch to the edge of the boat…and it turned out to be nothing more than a large piece of plastic.

The man who had spent the last thirty minutes encouraging me and holding me up as an example of the greatest fisherman in the world to his little sons is now shunning me. He never said another word to me the rest of the trip.

I thought…how could I possibly go from being a hero to a heel so quickly? Perhaps it is because in his mind I turned out not to be what I appeared to be.

Father,

I disappointed this man and his little sons, not because of my character, but because of my misfortune. Lord, even though things are not always as they appear to be…that does not necessarily mean that sin is involved so help us Lord not to be so quick to judge.

Amen