Bittersweet Fulfillment
Getting something we have wanted can be bittersweet. The college degree we so longed to have may not seem that vital once we have it; the job for which we pined may have some crucial negative aspects that make it less than illustrious when we get it; the children we craved to have, once born, may give us sleepless nights and stress for which we were not really prepared and on which we perhaps start to focus.
King David knew of this bittersweetness. He looked at a beautiful woman one day and wanted to have sex with her. Yet, the pleasure of getting her came at a great price. He ‘had’ to deceive her righteous husband, his friend, Uriah. Then he ‘had’ to kill Uriah. Bathsheeba gave birth to David’s child but the child died. Bathsheeba’s grandfather, who was one of David’s trusted advisors, harbored such resentment that it eventually led him to help David’s son, Absalom, overthrow David as king. Many people died as a result. Bittersweet.
However, fulfillment of our hopes can be a wonderful thing. There is nothing wrong with hoping for legitimate things then being glad when we get it. A college degree can be quite an accomplishment and open doors; a desired job, even with its undesirable aspects, can provide a lot of satisfaction once we have it; children are a blessing from the Lord. What good thing, though, comes free of cost? Even the free salvation we enjoy cost the heavenly Father His Unique Son and costs us our lives if we would belong to Him (Luke 9:23-24).
May we be like Jesus who focused on the sweetness rather than the bitterness. He despised the suffering for the joy that was set before Him (Hebrews 12:2). While recognizing that no good thing comes without a downside, may we, too, keep our attention on the positive side of hope fulfilled.
Comforting others is costly but worth it.