Not Part of the PlanSample

Day Four: The Bright Side of Disappointment

We’ve come to understand that true joy and real suffering can coexist. The two of us want to share with you four practical ways that God has helped us to press into our relationship with Him and find joy in the midst of our own disappointments. We hope these truths will equip you to find true joy as well.

1. Humbly submit to God’s story for your life.

Discontentment and friction often arise in our hearts when we forget who holds the pen to our story. When we look around and begin comparing our story to those of others, we lose sight of the fact that God has every person on a different path. His timing is not the same for all of us. His plan is tailor-made for our individual journey and for our greater good. Humbly submitting to God’s story is the first step toward true joy.

2. Trust that God’s plan is for your good.  

We live in a time where good means getting what you want. The good life is focused on personal happiness and making all of our dreams come true. But God’s version of good is the opposite of this. God’s version of good might look like allowing challenging circumstances into our lives that serve to remind us of our need for Him.

3. Serve God wholeheartedly right now.

Many of us struggle with the weight of our disappointments so much that it becomes a barrier that keeps us from moving forward. We begin to view our identity and life through the lens of our unfulfilled longings rather than through our identity as a daughter of God. God wants us to lay our desires at the foot of His altar and offer them as a sacrifice of worship to Him. He wants to use us to build His kingdom in unique ways right now. Our circumstances don’t need to change in order for us to live for Him wholeheartedly.

4. Keep your eyes focused on your future hope.

Disappointments, as hard as they are, give us an opportunity to cling to Jesus like He is all we have. In a weird sort of way, they become the very means to push us closer to what our soul needs: more of Jesus. Because Christ’s death on the cross and His resurrection changed everything, we can look through our earthly disappointments to a future hope and joy that will last for all eternity.

What would it look like if you truly clung to Jesus in the midst of disappointment?