Overcoming Disappointment

Playing in the rain is a young boy’s adventure come to life. What boy doesn’t enjoy splashing in the puddles? I view rain much differently today than I did as a kid and rarely have the urge to run out and splash in a puddle or simply stand in the rain. These days I prefer my recliner, a good cup of coffee and a book when it is raining.

There was day that I got caught in the rain and it made my head hurt. I was in college and walking from the library to my dorm room when a massive downpour caught me off guard. I searched for cover and noticed an awning over an entrance to a nearby building. I bolted for the one dry spot in my line of sight and gained full speed. I was so focused on getting out of the rain I didn’t consider how I would stop when I got there. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stop and my wide-eyed reflection shattered as my head went through the glass door. My immediate thought was, “What just happened?”

That’s not the last time I have asked that question. At some point everyone faces a wide-eyed moment and wonders what went wrong. The questions comes, “How did this happen?” and, “What did I do to deserve this?” We relentlessly rehearse the scenario in our mind and wonder what could have been done differently.

Disappointment often feels like getting caught in a torrential downpour. Dark clouds roll in unleashing a blinding torrent of emotion. We usually look for the nearest escape and run for cover only to find more disappointment. Times like these, can lead to despair if our emotions are allowed to run rampant. Hope hangs in the balance waiting for our next response.

When we face a difficult situation or we fail our own list of expectations, we must be careful not to live in the disappointment too long. Yes, everyone faces disappointments that we must work through.  But holding onto them leads to nursing a grudge and keeps the gray clouds swirling around us. Good decisions tend to disappear when the clouds stay too long. It is vital that we find a way to overcome whatever the storm brings. We have to let go of the feelings that work to consume every waking moment.

We can overcome the disappointment when we accept that God is not surprised by our difficult situation or personal failures. He cares deeply for each of us. Peter reminds us, “cast all your anxiety on him for he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) When storm clouds circle overhead, God wants to bring peace to anxious thoughts that threaten to overwhelm. Trusting in our own understanding to make sense of the disappointment is like trying to use an umbrella in a hurricane. Relying on intuition or feelings to make sense of the disappointment won’t work either. Scripture instructs us to:

“Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.” Proverbs 3:5,6 [The Message]

Trusting in God allows us to find hope when our situation seems hopeless. He keeps us on track when we are trying to make sense of the senseless.

It took me a several moments to come to my senses. The shattered glass lay on the ground and I felt light headed. My hand went to the pain in my forehead and the blood that covered my hand signaled I needed help. I couldn’t fix this on my own. A skilled surgeon would have to step in to help bring healing. That is exactly what God does for us when we come to our senses and turn to him for help. He steps in like a skilled surgeon and brings healing when we accept we can’t fix the disappointment on our own.

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