Sunday, March 18, 2007

Disappointed?


Disappointment hits everyone in life. Regardless of who you are, where you are from, and where you are headed in life, disappointment happens. For sure, it hits some more than others, but how you and I handle under-realized expectations(disappointment) has everything to do with how content life can be. One of my favorite Bible passages states "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." Nothing affects the heart more than the pain that comes from disappointment. People ultimately let you down. I am an optimist, and I still understand if we want fulfillment from people, and place our dreams in others hands, we have to expect that periodically we leave ourselves vulnerable to the fragile nature of humanity. So, how do we handle disappointment?
1. Opening the heart rather than cynically shuting down. Don't isolate - we are not alone, as soon as we believe that we are, depression is lurking at our door. We must open our hearts to God and, yes, to people again and accept things as they are, if we are going to move forward.
2. Waiting with anticipation rather than killing hope. Patience is an attribute that I aspire to master. Waiting stirs the soul's deep struggle with hope. Most people are terrible at waiting, yet life is filled with waiting - at the grocery store, in traffic, for our paycheck to come, for our mate to come, to change, to meet our needs. Finding joy in the now moment is key in every season of life.
3. Walk together rather than stand alone. One of my favorite childhood heroes was the Lone Ranger. He left an indelible impression, that if I am going to be a "real man," I don't need anybody. The temptation to believe in a privatized faith, where all I need is God, only hightens the loneliness. I believe we are designed to boldly open our lives to others and allow transparency to bring healing. Trusting again is key to living with hope!

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