Living Out Of The BoxSample

DEALING WITH DISAPPOINTMENT 

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” -- John 16:33 NLT

I love Jesus for many reasons, but one of the big ones is that He’s so real with us. He doesn’t sugar-coat things and tell us we will all have fairytale lives and live happily ever after. Life will be hard. There will be challenges. There will be sorrow. There will be pain. 

We talked a little bit about this before, but when God first created the earth, it was perfect and there was no sickness, sorrow, or pain. The first people he created were Adam and Eve. They hung out with God every day in a garden called Eden. They were free to do whatever they wanted, except for eat the fruit from one of the trees in the garden. It was called the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (I know, it’s a long name). One day Satan came into the garden in the form of a snake and convinced Eve to eat the fruit from that tree, and then she had Adam eat some of the fruit as well. After that happened, sin entered the world and it became a broken and cursed land. That’s why today we deal with sickness, disappointment, pain, sorrow, etc.

There’s going to be disappointments in life. Even if you’re a great person and haven’t done that many bad things, bad things still may happen to you. None of us are immune to the attacks of the enemy and the brokenness of this world… But we can trust in God, regardless of what happens in our lives! He is good, and He is ultimately in control. He is for you and not against you!

When bad things happen to you and you feel that hurt and disappointment in your heart, it’s easy to ask, “Why? Why did this happen to me? God, are you really there?” But instead of asking “Why,” ask “What.” Ask God what He wants to teach you through the experiences you go through. It’s okay to be upset and tell God how you feel, but don’t fall into the trap of feeling sorry for yourself. The more we go through, the stronger we get. The Bible says we should rejoice when we encounter problems in our lives because it develops perseverance, which will help us in the long run!

Action Step: 
Take some time and talk to God about the disappointments you’ve had in life. Tell Him how you feel, and know that He understands your pain. After that, think back on how God has used some of those disappointments and hard times to strengthen you. Do things to intentionally remind yourself how God can even use the bad things in life to help us.

My Prayer: 
Jesus, thank You that even though I will experience hardships in this life, I know You are by my side to carry me and help me! Thank You that I can trust You. Help me to ask ‘what’ instead of ‘why’ when I encounter trials in my life. I love You so much. Amen.