Disappointment is a real thing, and everyone at some point in life has experienced it. If they haven’t, they more than likely will. Have you ever hoped for something only to see it never come to fruition? Have you ever had an expectation for something that never happened? I have, and there were times when I was disappointed by the outcome.
What is disappointment? To define it we have to consider the root word; which is, “disappoint”, and Webster’s Dictionary defines it as to fail to meet the expectation or hope of. Thereby, defining disappointment as the act or an instance of disappointing : the state or emotion of being disappointed. For the sake of this article, we will talk about the later.
As I mentioned before, I have been disappointed over many things in my life. For example, when I was younger I planned out my whole life. Now that’s funny! I didn’t know then that God’s ways were not my ways, and that His thoughts were higher than mine. I wanted to be CEO of my own software company, be married, have two children, a dog, and a white picket fence all by the time I was 28. When I turned 29, I had none of these things. As a matter of fact, I used to go home after work, watch “A Baby Story”, and cry. Crocodile tears at that! I hated my job and kept thinking there had to be more to life than what I currently had. So, see, disappointments do happen, and they can affect us emotionally. The picture I painted for my life was by way of my own hope and expectation. God never told me that what I wanted was His plan for my life!
However, God does say in Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV), For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Just because what I planned didn’t happen the way I planned it, or at all; God’s plan for my life was and is still very much in effect. The Message bible puts the same verse this way, I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. My God! That in itself is enough to make me stop worrying about what hasn’t happened. Yet, from time-to-time I go back into my emotions when another disappointment comes, and I have to remind myself of this very scripture.
But wait! It is normal to feel “some kind of way” when what we’ve hoped for time and time again seems like it will never happen. The word of God makes this clear. In Proverbs 13:12 (KJV) it tells us that Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life. I love how the Message bible puts this verse as well, Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick, but a sudden good break can turn life around. When it seems nothing is going right, and all hell is breaking loose… there is still hope! When that desire comes to pass it will be life changing!
Maybe for you it’s that your children aren’t behaving well in school. Maybe the marriage that seemed so perfect in the beginning isn’t looking like what you expected. Maybe you’ve cut corners in your budget, but still can’t seem to get ahead like you’d hoped. Maybe the job let you down when you didn’t get the promotion. Maybe, just maybe, like it was for me; you planned your life out and life looks nothing like the plan!
Disappointment can cause worry in our hearts and our emotions, and if we let them, our emotions will play tricks on us. Having us to believe that there is nothing good left to come. That is a lie from the pit of hell! The bible, our blueprint for life, tells us in Philippians 4:6-7 (MSG) Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
I have learned to quickly take the issues of my heart to God when I recognize that there is one. Through prayer and intimacy with the Father, He brings me to a place of peace and hope. At times, He even gives me insight into His plan for my life and/or situations I may be facing. These moments give me strategy on how and what to pray for, and they restore my hope.
I want to encourage you to do the same. Understand that God has a plan for you, and even though it may not look like it right now it is a good one! Trust Him to bring to pass His perfect plan for your life. I’ve come to realize that when God plans it, it is greater than anything we can imagine! After all, He is God, and He is good! Remember this, disappointments don’t last always! Proverbs 13:12 doesn’t say “if” desire comes, but when. Something good is on the way!
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