Our Hope: Dealing With Disappointment

“When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider:  God has made the one as well as the other.”  Ecclesiastes 7:14 (NIV)

Disappointment is a difficult thing.  It can break your heart, it can make you feel small, it can affect all your relationships.  Disappointment can also destroy your personal dreams.  And since God gives us our dreams, that is a tragedy in and of itself.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary gives these synonyms for the word disappointment:  dismay, dissatisfaction, frustration, letdown.

But in truth, the word disappointment is a word that you really cannot put in a box because of its many nuances.  We feel them, and we know them.  And that is why we must turn to God to help us deal with our disappointments.

Life is never easy, even in the good times.  But we learn to live and love, and to go on when we face letdowns.  Does that make the heartaches we feel all better?  No, we often continue to feel the pain.  And in truth, the essence of that feeling can stay with us for our entire lives.  But as Christians, we should never give in, never let that disappointment dictate the way we live our lives, or how we treat those who bring disappointment to our door.  Remember, our battle is not against flesh and blood, it is against the evil one.  He is the deliverer of our disappointments.

Our joy in life need never be reduced because of disappointments.  Jesus said, “Come to Me.” (Matthew 11:28).  With those words He promises rest and relief from our burdens, no matter what they may be.  He is concerned with everything about our lives.  He knows how we hurt, and how that hurt can harm our walk with Him.  Therefore, He prays for us, and He invites us to share our disappointments with Him.  He is the only One who can give us the peace we crave when we go through disappointing times.

Jesus is Our Hope.  He is our closest friend, closer than a brother.  He is our Savior, bringing us eternal life and blessings that we cannot contain.  He knows how we think and feel, and when His children have been wronged, He is our Defender, and the Lifter of our heads.  The battle is His, not ours.  But the victory is ours, and it is by His hand alone.

Along with disappointment comes forgiveness.  If another person has brought disappointment to us, we must forgive.  Sometimes we can’t do that immediately, because we often go through a process of the shock of it, the grieving of it, and finally the acceptance of it.  But once we are there, forgiveness is a must. It will not only restore relationships, but it will bring a great measure of peace knowing that we have done exactly what Jesus has taught us to do.  And even if the other party does not accept our offer of forgiveness, often denying any wrongdoing, we have done what He has commanded we do.  We will still have that peace and the knowledge that now we can move forward and move on with our lives.  And this is why Jesus is Our Hope.  Glory!

“Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.”  Psalm 62:8.

Blessings!

Have you experienced a great disappointment in your life, one you did not think you could recover from?  If so, how did you resolve the heartache, and what has God done with that time to enrich your life?