Dealing with Disappointment

Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)

Disappointment.

It's something all of us have faced at one point or another, yet something I personally just do not have an appreciation for. Disappointment disrupts the harmony of my days; it messes with my enjoyment of life. I do not like it. And I do not like watching other people go through it either--especially my children. I think I am a pretty normal mom. I see my children sad or depressed about something and I want to make them feel better, tell them it is really not that serious, not important enough to disrupt their peace of mind. But somehow disappointment is not always that easy to erase. It tends to hang on and take the fun out of other things. My son enjoys baseball and he usually plays pretty well. But lately he seems to have hit a wall. His pitches no longer hit squarely into the strike zone, his hits no longer make it out of the infield; suddenly he is making dumb mistakes over and over again. He normally shakes it off and returns pretty quickly to his usual cheerful self, but his quietness last night all the way home from his game demonstrated the extent of his disappointment. I wanted to hug him and tell him it was all right. I wanted to let him know that a baseball game just wasn't that important. But it is important to him. And that's why I need to be sure to prepare him to deal with what life doles out. Disappointment is going to hit him again and again, just like it hits everyone. And the only answer to disappointment is to take it to the One who has conquered it.

Christ dealt with disappointment. He lost a good friend to death. (John 11) He was betrayed by a guy He hung out with for three years. (Matt. 26:14-16) His best friends deserted Him in His time of need. (Matt. 26:56) But during these situations, He not only conquered the downer of disappointment and the heaviness of sorrow, but dealt with the agony of loss and tribulation and death as well. When I find myself smack dab in the middle of a discouraging situation, it is a comfort to know that I can take it to Someone much bigger than I who has already been there. Someone who knows how I feel and Who loves me dearly. Someone who can help me deal with the pain and is able to bring peace back into my circumstances. Someone who can help me to learn from the situation and even possibly to find joy in it.

So the next time my son loses a game or does poorly on a test or makes a bad decision, it is my job to remind him Who to go to with it--Someone who knows what it feels like to be let down, but even better, who knows how to conquer and rise again.

Thank you, precious Lord, for being there for us when life gets a little tricky. Thank you for helping us deal with life's trials and tribulations and getting us safely through the rough spots.

Janine Miller