3 Ways to Deal with Disappointment

UGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

It's Wednesday and I'm working today. Usually that would be normal, but today, it's very un-normal and very disappointing.

You see, I had taken today off from work to go on a field trip with the little Mr. and due to the rain, it was "postponed".

Even though it was just a field trip, I was looking forward to today. This morning I was singing and woke him up in an annoying way making it apparent that I was WAY more excited for this day than he was.

Now in the car, after getting the word, I tried to talk my son into a peaceful mood before dropping him off for a regular, educational, non-trip-filled school day. I started to think about this thing called disappointment and why we encounter it, and how we can deal with it when it inevitably comes knocking.


Why do we get disappointed? One way to answer the question is to say that we experience disappointment because other people and things let us down, but I think there's more to it.

Disappointment is something we are all going to face at some point in our lives. But how can we deal with the pain and frustration it causes?

Maybe we could...

1. Accept the world we live in. Our world is a once perfect place gone wrong and is filled with trials, tribulations, and thorns. Our expectation of life can't always be that we will have smooth sailing. People are flawed and plans often go awry. It's not promised to us anywhere that everything will go our way and ultimately there is much good that can come from difficulties. We learn how to persevere and endure through tough times and we also learn what things truly matter.

"We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love."

Romans 5:3-5

"Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing."
James 1:2-4


2. Be careful what you put your hope in. One of the main reasons we struggle as humans is because we look to other people, hobbies, jobs, and passions to fulfill us. We are forever on "the pursuit of happiness" and yet when we get to the supposed "peak" of the mountain, we find we are still left wanting. People, are flawed. Careers can end. Health can fail. The only person who will never fail us is the one who invites us to put our hope in an unmovable, unshakable place, and gives us a firm foundation for life.

"I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken."...Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken. My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me. O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge."

Psalm 62:1-2, 5-8

"The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever."

Isaiah 40:8"

3. Let it go! Don't be fooled. You can't ultimately control your life or the things that happen to you. All you can do is your best. If things don't work out as you hoped, release the frustration, knowing that stewing over something you can't exactly change will only cause excess stress. There is always tomorrow and sometimes losing one thing opens your eyes to see something you wouldn't have otherwise noticed.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take."

Proverbs 3:5-6

Hang in there. Life is an up-and-down kinda ride. Roller coasters would be no fun if they just went up up up. As a matter of fact they would kill you. It's science.