Dealing With Disappointment

Ruth

You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail.

—Proverbs 19:21 NLT

I had a plan. I knew exactly how many children I wanted. I had grown up dreaming of having a very large family with at least six kids. I had it all figured out. The problem was that my plan was different from God’s. After several miscarriages, I found great joy in the miracle of the four children God had given me. But I would be lying if I didn’t admit I felt grief and disappointment that I couldn’t have more.

We dream. Make plans. Sometimes we wait and hope. But often our dreams do not come to fruition. The vision we had for our future shatters, or at the very least, is different from what we were planning.

It might be a job. The size of our family. Health. Moving to a different city. A dating relationship or spouse. No matter the plans we make and the dreams we dream, inevitably we will experience disappointment. Why? Because not all of our dreams are God’s desires. As the Bible reminds us, He has a purpose for our lives that is far greater than our plans.

And so we learn to surrender. We hold loosely the things we desire and dream about. We remember that our lives are ultimately for God’s glory. Not all our ways are His ways. He knows better. He understands more. He is writing a story in which we are not always privy to how all the parts work together.

But even more than that, we need to remember that God is the greatest treasure. He is the greatest reward. He alone is the fullest satisfaction of our souls. As the apostle Paul said, “I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8).

Any satisfaction we could get from our plans and dreams will never come close to knowing God and being known by Him. He is of supreme worth. Disappointment can be a gift because it drives us closer to God.

Open your heart, asking the Lord to fill you with the joy and satisfaction that only He can give you.

Lord, teach me to delight in You. I surrender all my plans and dreams to Your will. I want You more than anything. Come and change all of me, aligning my heart to Yours. In Your name I pray, amen.

In what circumstances have you experienced disappointment?

How can disappointment reveal the things you treasure more than God?