Day 297 - Dealing With Disappointment

"It was good food. When I asked for the check the waiter said it was free because it was Friday. Thankfully we didn't leave at that point because a moment later he was back with the check."

Have you ever had high hopes of something only to have a huge let down? Or maybe someone promised something and didn't come through? It happens to everyone. When disappointments come we often handle them wrong. 

Most of the time dashed hopes mean that we are resolved to never hope again. If our dreams are hindered or don't turn out as we expected then we resolve to not dream anymore. It is just too painful. 

I don't believe that God intended for us to give up so easily though. Jesus was faced with tremendous opposition and suffered many things here on the earth. We find that He was constantly dealing with disappointments. There were times Jesus would give someone an opportunity to follow Him and the people would turn away because of family ties or finances. When Jesus entered Jerusalem He wept because He knew the devastation that would come upon the people and all the while He was with them and they turned from Him and even forsook Him and crucified Him. He is described in the Bible as a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. 

All that we know but think on this for a second. We are to follow Him. Even through all that disappointment and sorrow He never gave up. His prayers are full of life and future blessings. He endured the cross for the joy that was on the other side. 

So how do we handle the disappointments. First of all you do what you have to do. When you are hoping for the free lunch and the waiter brings the bill you pay for it. Figuratively speaking of coarse. When life tells you something and then makes you pay for it later just bite the bullet. 

Second is you dare to hope again. Allow yourself to dream. Also, be open to God's interpretation of the dream. It is okay that we are not in control of everything. If we were we would make a huge mess out of our lives. God knows how we handle the disappointments will shape our character and eventually our future. Purpose in your heart to handle the road bumps and roadblocks of life well. Slow down or find a detour. Delays are not denials. Your dream may be waiting for you on the other side of a tough season. Trust God with your tomorrows. When you do you can focus on today's lessons. 

How do you handle disappointment? What other scriptural examples are there of people who gracefully handled disappointments?

Day 266 - Hope

1 Corinthians 9:10b “…he who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope.” 

"Sometimes I forget hope in my work. My work is lighter and better when I see my hope by the eye of faith ahead of me. Like the last leg of a race or the final turn before I get home there is a joy before me of hope that carries me and energizes me."

Some people don't like hope because they don't want to hope and not ever attain. The Bible agrees that hope deferred makes the heart sick. But we do not hope like the world does. Our hope is in an unchanging God who cannot lie. 

If we will allow ourselves to hope we will be carried further. Our faith will be stronger; remember that faith is the substance of things hoped for. Hope is the blueprint that faith goes to work on. 

You can have the greatest hope that doesn't disappoint. You will be a partaker of that hope like the verse says. Set your hope in Christ and on His word. Faith will take over and grace will work with you to get the job done! 

Do you have a hard time with hope? How can we have a healthy hope? 

Day 240 - Permanent Solution To A Temporary Problem

"We talked about her son who tried to kill himself last night."

There have been a few times in my life that news shocked me and made me sick to my stomach. This was one of them. I had a close relationship with this individual. I had walked him through rocky points in marriage and eventually a divorce. I had prayed with this man and labored to keep him in church. Now here is news that he had tried to end his life. 

The only light I could see in this situation was that he was still alive. His mother was dealing with the feelings associated with suicide. "What did I do? What didn't I do? What could I have done?"

We prayed together and I listened and let her work through the emotions and tears. In the end I encouraged her and then connected with him later that day over the phone. He was ready to make the changes and to work where he needed. 

I have heard it said that suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. The pressures and weights of today will not be the same pressures of tomorrow. Whatever you are going through you must remember that you are 'going through' it. It won't always be like this. Yet the devil wants us to believe that and would love for us to end it all. 

The greatest hope we have is that no matter how hard it gets in this life if we are Christians we have the life to come that there will be no more pain and suffering. We have a Comforter now who is with us everywhere we go and in everything we encounter. 

If you are battling suicidal thoughts you need to talk with someone who is godly and trusted. Share with them what you are feeling. Pray together and seek the scriptures on your situation. Also at the bottom of this page I have included telephone numbers you can call if you feel like you have no one to talk to. 

God loves you and has a wonderful future He has planned. You will outlast the problems and the trials of life. 

What scriptures give you hope? What are you looking forward to in life?

USA National Suicide Hotline 1-800-SUICIDE or 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255). New Hope Telephone Counseling Center 714-639-4673. Covenant House 1-800-999-9999 . Focus on the Family's Counseling Department 1-855-771-HELP (4357). Monday through Friday between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Mountain time.