Dealing With Disappointment
As MJ (Zendaya) says in Spider-Man: No Way Home,
“expect disappointment and you can never get disappointed.”
That quote is a sad one to live by. Especially when you know God, you learn that you can always have hope through Him. Hebrews 10:23 says, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” That verse is explaining how when we say or proclaim that we believe in Jesus, we can know that HE is our hope no matter what happens in our lives. Yet the one thing that you can get from the above quote is that your disappointments have a lot to do with your level of expectations.
Sometimes, you can have such high expectations for a person, or people in general, that you feel like you get let down frequently. That feeling of disappointment can be tiring and can prevent you from opening up to anyone else. At other times, the feeling occurs when you love another person and want only the best for them. Yet, when the relationship doesn’t turn out the way you think it should’ve, it becomes a hard pill to swallow. For example, you may expect that your friendship with a person, or relationship with your significant other, is solid and will last. Then a situation totally blindsides you and you are left with a difficult choice – to fight or to let go. That decision becomes even harder when you have to choose to do what’s best for your mental heath, when you really just want to follow your heart.
With Jesus in your life there is always Light as He is your hope in every situation.
I have definitely been in a state of mind where I only wanted to invest time into someone who I believed would not leave. But we all realize we will never 100% know a person's intentions, nor how the relationship will pan out. Jesus, Himself, has been disappointed or frustrated by situations. He invested time with His disciples, yet they still doubted Him and one still betrayed Him. What’s even more crazy than that is how God gives us unconditional love, and He sent His Son to die for everyone to show it, knowing there would be those who wouldn’t accept it.
So, even though there are no guarantees of avoiding disappointments in any relationship, you can be more like Jesus and love anyway!
When I first realized that fact it blew my mind! I have most likely lived my life by that MJ quote during some seasons, even before that saying was a thing! And definitely before God patched up my heart a bit. It’s important to realize that any set-back you think is taking place is actually part of God’s plan. God is known to exceed expectations by giving something better, and revealing how we need what He provides more than whatever we expected. If you are angry, frustrated, tired, anxious, or hurt because of the disappointment you have experienced, please always remember to still go to God with it all. He knows everything anyway and just wants you to trust His plan and leave it to Him! If you truly believe in God, then you know that He never lets the story end with disappointment. Therefore, when you experience it, you may not know what the Lord is actually protecting you from, or trying to teach you, so try not to miss the lesson! Don’t get me wrong, this is still a work in progress for me. Although, if He can do it for me, He can do it for you! It hurts and it is a process, but as long as you go through it with God, you will feel His love. God only corrects the ones He loves, and as you change, your faith gets stronger. He helps pick up the broken pieces to make you whole again! The love of God is the only love that never fails. His love heals and restores! So, get ready, for as your story is still unfolding, you can begin to anticipate how God will make a way. The Author of your story always has so much more good to come!
