Disappointment

Mary’s Monday Musings to Quilt Encouragement

Disappointment

            Wham! Slam! A rejection slip from a publisher carries the power to dump a load of heart-sinking disappointment into a writer’s emotions. Everyone, at various times of our lives, experiences situations which powerfully collides with our desires and delivers a breath-gasping wallop of disappointment. No one is immune to attacks of disappointment. How do we respond to that gut–wrenching moment?

 

If you are around small children you see many examples of what you don’t want to do, certainly not in public. Little ones throw themselves on the ground, scream, sob, and  throw things. A parent’s role compels us to teach a different approach to frustration. Comforting a disappointed child comes first before the little one is able to profit from any explanations of what is beneficial versus self-defeating behavior. I like to think our heavenly Father is just as prone to comfort us in our moments of distress. When disappointment floods my soul, I find comfort in allowing myself a mental imagination. In my mind, I picture myself crawling up in the lap of Jesus and laying my head against his shoulder just like a sobbing child would do with his parent. As this mental exercise quiets my distressed emotional reaction, I become more able to hear the internal whisper of His comfort–to hear His reassurance that He knows about my regret and cares how it hurts. I become more receptive to sense how I may need to adjust my thinking. My mental picture provides me with a short-cut to the truth of the scripture Romans 8:28. ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are called according to his purpose.’ He holds me and each of you in His love as we wait to find the good God intends.