When life hands you lemons…make lemonade (or my fave, lemon bars)! This is a saying most of us have heard, and have had to implement in our lives at one time or another. There are so many things that can happen that will bring disappointment in this world, and if we let it ALL get to us, we might lose our minds!
Do you ever stop and think about where you pictured yourself being at any given point in your life? Were you planning to save and buy a car by your 16th birthday…were you looking to have your dream job right out of high school…did you have a goal to receive a Master’s Degree before settling down…were you planning to buy a house within a year of marriage…did you hope to have kids by a certain age…?
When one or more of those goals you’d set for yourself weren’t attained, how did it make you feel? Were you angry, frustrated, or disappointed? If so, were these feelings directed towards yourself, or someone else? I find it interesting that if something happens where I let myself down, it is much easier to accept than if I fail to accomplish something that in turn lets my husband or kids down.
We are in the process of trying to plan a birthday dinner for two members of the family…one of them being my son. The birthday girl has graciously offered to consolidate the two birthday celebrations to simplify things, since we are dealing with impossible schedules (3 separate and busy families, trying to coordinate dates/times that work for all).
Seems like it would be simple…right? Wrong! Instead we’ve run into nothing but complications. If it were my birthday and things didn’t work out as planned, I might be a little disappointed, but I’d move forward with whatever worked for everyone else and make the best of it. It’s a totally different scenario when it involves your child (the one who obsesses over things like: plans, dates and times). This is when I become excruciatingly frustrated…because my boy is disappointed. There is no one at fault in these instances, though you want to be mad and blame someone (it’s easier than being sad)!
This is just a very minor example of disappointment. There are huge issues we’re all facing in our world at this time. How about the many husbands/fathers who are desperately searching for a way to support their families after they’ve been laid off from a job they may have had for years? What happens when they don’t hear back after sending in handfuls of resumes, or they’ve gone on a few interviews only to be told the position has been filled by someone else? Or the wife who attempts to pay the bills that have piled up, then realizes there isn’t anything left…
The setbacks and disappointments you are dealing with might not have anything to do with past goals or financial difficulties. You might have hopes and dreams that seem to get farther away instead of closer… possibly you’ve had to change your plans to visit family or friends you were looking forward to spending time with…or maybe a trip you’d been counting on was postponed (indefinitely).
Job 4:5 But now trouble comes to you, and you are discouraged; it strikes you, and you are dismayed.
Do any of these situations hit a little too close to home? Is disappointment and frustration staring you in the face, making you feel inadequate or disillusioned? When you begin to feel like you can’t take anymore…remember there is hope! You may feel like there’s nowhere else to turn, but you are not alone! Give God your burdens and remember…He will not abandon or forsake you! He is our comfort in time of need!
2 Corinthians 4:8-9 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
Let’s take a minute to Worship this Wednesday…if you need a pick me up, this ought to do it!
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Great thoughts, Bridget. I’m not so much disappointed today as exhausted, but worshipping is still a great remedy to the tiredness I have to push through.
I have been disappointed, but am moving in a different direction. You know what I mean.
That is one of my favorite worship songs!