God is Not Disappointed in You

Recently, a colleague whose child attended the same before- and after-school care as my girls and was in the same class as my younger daughter, Naomi, came to my office. He told me about some scary stories his son said he’d heard from “Grace.” He even described the image and showed me a picture from Google. It was indeed frightening.

As he continued, I kept asking, “Are you sure your child said Grace? My Grace?” He hesitated and said, “Well, yes, he said Grace, but maybe it’s not your Grace.” Then I remembered seeing another little girl named Grace who played soccer with my younger daughter, so I said, “Oh, there’s another Grace in Naomi’s class – maybe that’s who he meant.” I explained that since his son wasn’t in the same class as my Grace, and we don’t watch scary movies at home, it couldn’t have been her. He agreed, and the conversation ended. But when I got home, I decided to get to the bottom of it. I asked Naomi if there was another Grace in her class or the other kindergarten class. She said no. Then I turned to Grace and asked about what had been reported. To my surprise, it was my Grace. I was terribly disappointed, even though it still didn’t make sense.

I was disappointed because we had taught her better. Disappointed because I didn’t expect that from her. Disappointed because I wasn’t present to monitor the conversation. I was disappointed because, while I believe we are doing our best to train our children in a godly way, I don’t know everything about her. I’m not omniscient.

But God is.

As I was reading Psalm 121 recently, verse 4 jumped out at me: “Behold, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” God sees and knows everything. He never dozes off or misses a moment. There’s nothing we do that escapes His sight. You can’t hide anything from Him. He knows you completely – every thought, every motive, every intention. And yet, He still chooses to love you.

God is not disappointed in you. He couldn’t be, because He already knew about your weaknesses, struggles, and failures before they ever happened. He knows your past perfectly, and your future completely. He told Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart” (Jeremiah 1:5). His understanding has no limit (Psalm 147:5).

The psalmist said in Psalm 139:4, “Before a word is on my tongue, You, Lord, know it completely.” He knows your next move. He knows when you’re about to gossip, complain, or lose your temper. and He gently warns you through His Spirit. You hear Him, but sometimes, you still go ahead and do what you shouldn’t. And when guilt and shame begin to weigh you down, He calls you even closer. He doesn’t turn away; instead, He lovingly works to shape you into a better version of yourself – a version that looks more like Christ.

At that point, you might want to hide, thinking, “God must be so disappointed in me.” But He’s not – because He already knew you would stumble. I love Psalm 103. Verse 14 says, “For He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust.”

Of course, He desires that you walk in obedience. But rather than scolding or rejecting you, like I did with my daughter at first, He invites you to come closer – boldly, to the throne of grace, so you can receive mercy and find grace to help in your time of need (Hebrews 4:16). Mercy and grace aren’t for those who’ve done everything right; they’re for those who have fallen short.

So the next time you fail or stumble, remember that you have a Father who already knew you would, and He’s waiting with open arms to welcome you, forgive you, and continue moulding you into the person He created you to be.

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning” (Lamentations 3:22-23).

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We later found out that Grace wasn’t actually leading the conversation. She hadn’t even seen the scary image. Her friends had watched the movie and started the conversation, but Grace wanted to fit in, so she made up stories to feel like she belonged. I texted the boy’s father and apologized, and Grace did too. It was a humbling reminder that even when we think we know, we don’t always see the full picture – but God always does.

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