Charles Swindoll is Senior Pastor of Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, TX, and Chancellor of Dallas Theological Seminary.
Many years ago, I was invited to speak at a small Bible college. The new president was fighting valiantly to help the school overcome its most recent troubles, and they were serious. I wanted to help however I could. He greeted me with great enthusiasm as I walked into the airport terminal, and when I asked, “How are you today?” he replied loudly with a huge smile, “Fantastic!” I stuck out my hand and he shook it so hard my shoulder hurt.
“Well, that’s good,” I said. “How’s the school?”
“Outstanding! Just outstanding!”
I thought to myself: OK, nothing’s that good. But I have to admit, his enthusiasm was infectious. He was exactly what motivators and leadership experts tell you to become. While I wholeheartedly believe in choosing to approach every challenge with a great attitude, I don’t mean we should abandon authenticity and live in fantasyland.
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A year later, I returned to speak and he met me again. Like the year before, everything was “Fantastic!,” although, the student body had dwindled noticeably and worry hung in the air like a haze.
Sometime after my second trip and before my third, his world had come apart. The new president’s wife had left him, his children were adrift, the school struggled financially, and enrollment had sunk to an all‑time low. The place was on the verge of closing its doors. When I stepped into the now‑familiar terminal, I didn’t see him standing in his usual spot. He was sitting on a bench with his head down, clearly distracted until I walked up and stood right in front of him.
He looked up without a word. I took him by the shoulders, stood him up, and embraced him. “How are you?” I asked.
He hugged me in silence. Tears hung heavy from his eyelids as he said, “I’m growing and I’m learning. But I’m no longer fantastic.” Pain had enrolled my friend in a very difficult curriculum that would earn him an advanced degree in reality and brokenness.
The Road to DisappointmentAs the sun rose on Sunday morning and the Passover feast came to an end, two of Jesus’ followers left for home, clearly disillusioned and resolving to leave their foolish dreams in Jerusalem forever. Even as rumors of resurrection circulated, the dejected pair began the 7‑mile walk to the village of Emmaus.
They were talking to each other about all the things that had happened. While they were talking and debating these things, Jesus himself approached and began to accompany them (but their eyes were kept from recognizing him). Then he said to them, “What are these matters you are discussing so intently as you walk along?” (Luke 24:14-17, NET)