A New Level

”Sometimes what we think is a disappointment is really God getting us in position to go to a new level.” (Joel Osteen)

Honestly, have you ever been disappointed with the Almighty? Has God ever not answered a prayer of yours in the manner you thought He should have? Is your faith low right now? Do you understand the abridged lyrics to the MercyMe song, “Even If” given below?

They say it only takes a little faith
To move a mountain
Good thing
A little faith is all I have right now
But God, when You choose
To leave mountains unmovable
Give me the strength to be able to sing
It is well with my soul

I know You're able and I know You can
Save through the fire with Your mighty hand
But even if You don't
My hope is You alone
I know the sorrow, and I know the hurt
Would all go away if You'd just say the word
But even if You don't
My hope is You alone

You've been faithful, You've been good
All of my days
Jesus, I will cling to You
Come what may
‘Cause I know You're able
I know You can

Disappointment is a hard to deal with. Though nobody enjoys the process of it, we will all face it eventually throughout our lifetime. It’s important to be able to respond to disappointment in a positive manner. Here are three healthy ways to deal with all it involves:

1.   Mourn and release your disappointment to God: You experienced a loss, so it’s natural to mourn. Have a period where you feel sad about the situation, then pick yourself up. It might take time, but you must make a decision to move past the disappointment. Don’t run from it.

 

Face it and release it. Pray about it, being honest with God about how you feel. But don’t let disappointment be a shadow over your life. Learn to place your hope solely in God. That truly is the most secure place for it to be.

 

2.   Evaluate and adjust your expectations: There is another side to disappointment. It can be crippling, but it also can be humbling, since it is a way to examine where and in whom we place our hope. Misplaced hope ultimately leads to disappointment. Assessing that disappointment can be a starting point in readjusting our expectations about the things we want in life.

 

It’s natural and normal to want things and to want to excel, but issues arise when we begin to believe our happiness is based on achieving a goal. What happens when you lose things in your life? You become deflated, hopeless. Learn to place your hope solely in God. That truly is the most secure place for it to be.

 

3.   Get moving: Don’t wallow in your disappointment. Wallowing is not productive and can actually be harmful. Get your mind off your circuitousness, and get active. Pick up a new hobby, visit friends, or volunteer at an organization that inspires you. Reach beyond yourself, and help somebody in need (or help someone achieve their goals).

 

Disappointment can also be a time of renewed resourcefulness. Try something else, go in a different direction or maybe approach things a new way. If one dream dies, pick up another one, and keep moving forward in life. We will all face disappointment many times in our life. We were never promised everything we want or an easy life. We live in a broken world and that is not possible. You can rest assured that even though you didn’t get what you wanted, God is with you, and will never forsake you. He will still use that disappointing situation for your good.

 
“One bold message in the Book of Job is that you can say anything to God. Throw at him your grief, your anger, your doubt, your bitterness, your betrayal, your disappointment—he can absorb them all. As often as not, spiritual giants of the Bible are shown contending with God. They prefer to go away limping, like Jacob, rather than to shut God out. In this respect, the Bible prefigures a tenet of modern psychology.

You can’t really deny your feelings or make them disappear, so you might as well express them. God can deal with every human response save one. He cannot abide the response I fall back on instinctively: an attempt to ignore him or treat him as though he does not exist. That response never once occurred to Job.” (Philip Yancey, author of Disappointment with God: Three Questions No One Asks Aloud) Sometimes what we think is a disappointment, is really God getting us in position to go to a new level.[i]

---

[i] Adapted from: “3 Things to Do in the Face of Disappointment” by Brandi Green