No Elephants Allowed

Disappointment

There are times when life is full of one disappointment after another.  Or so it seems.  Who hasn't had a big slice of that?  Disappointment comes in all shapes and sizes, many colors and at different times.   

How do I let Jesus shepherd me over this gap of disappointment between my expectations and my reality so that I come to His green pastures and quiet waters of contentment and rest?

I have to face off with three heart-hitting questions:

Are these just my unmet expectations? 

Have I forgotten to be thankful for what I do have?

Is there something I can make to change my disappointment in this situation?

Usually after my self-examination,  I see what God is teaching me through my unmet expectations.  Or my flaws are once again fully exposed and laid out on my prayer journal on God's soon-to-be-burned plow list.  Or I ask for courage to drop my expectations and embrace change or my perceived disappointment for His good, His plan and purpose.  

I can't keep falling back on my false reality that my unmet expectations will not be met if I truly believe I have a Savior who meets each and every one of my needs, each and every time.  I must accept His plan for my life in all unanswered questions and in my unmet expectations.  That's my heart reality. 

Just because God says so.  

My Father really does know best.  No matter how many disappointments emerge, I must cling to His hope.  I have to give over my heart to God's authority.  I have to stop asking questions of His sovereignty and just hang on to truth.  I must let go of my need to understand and my doubt.  I must surrender to the expectation that He is maneuvering his perfect plan to fit my best need even when I don't see what He is up to.  I must trust Him to know that when disappointment slides in again, that it's my perspective that needs correcting not His perfect timing and plan for me.  I can't go careening off into the oblivion of unbelief.    

The space between my reality and expectations will only change if I allow God to bridge the gap of my disappointment with His peaceful perspective. 

So how do you deal with life's unexpected happenings that bring disappointment?