Today I am a disappointed man. Disappointed on many different levels. Suffice it say I carry a heavy heart. The reasons are not important. I write this wounded in my soul and disappointed. Mainly I direct my disappointment back to God.
Accompanied with my disappointment is fatigue. Bone weary fatigue emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Years of struggle in ministry have taken a toll. Like a battery slowly being drained so do I feel drained. Repeated quiet times help to get recharged for the short haul but I can tell there is something deeper broken in me than a quiet time can fix.
I am disappointed in how my life has turned out. I am extremely blessed with Brenda and the boys. I could not ask for anything else as far as family is concerned. I do wish I had a father to turn to in times like this for advice. One of my great disappointments is I feel I have few people to bear my soul to. I keep a lot of my disappointments pent up inside.
I am a broken man. Disappointment, fatigue, and broken all mixed together can either usher in a great work of God or lead me to despair. I have to cope with life's disappointments. There are many. They do not go away and I cannot run from them. Neither can I bury my head in the sand. I have to deal with them.
How? I will give you four ways I am seeking to cope with life's disappointments and pray God will use them in your life as well.
First, I will sit before the Lord and linger long in His presence. I may not say a word. I will sit and direct my focus toward Him. I will listen longer. I will content myself at His feet. Just being near Him comforts the soul. The circumstances may not change but I will be changed just being with Him.
Second, I will read His word voraciously. I have been devouring the scriptures in recent days reading through Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. His word holds hope for my soul. I will read like George Mueller advised people to read their Bibles. "Now what is food for the inner man? Not prayer, but the word of God; and hear again, not the simple reading of the word of God, so that it only passes through our minds, just as water passes through a pipe, but considering what we read, pondering it over applying it to our hearts." I will continually seek to consider what I read, to ponder over it and to apply the truth to my situation.
Third, I will be thankful every day. I will find reasons to thank God for His blessings. I will count them and direct my gratitude back toward God reminding me daily of His faithfulness. [Phil 4:6] Like the old song, "Count your many blessings name them one by one and it will surprise you what the Lord has done." I will find reason every day to give thanks in private and in public.
Lastly, I will fill my mind with positive faith reinforcing thoughts. I will intentionally put things into mind and heart that strengthen and encourage my faith. I know life's disappointments tear away at faith so I will combat this with a mind filled with scripture and helpful literature. I will seek to dwell on the positive and to accentuate the positive aspects of life while seeking to diminish thoughts on life's disappointments.
In these ways I trust God to help me cope with disappointments. Lingering long in His presence, read scripture, be thankful, and filling my mind with positive faith reinforcing thoughts. In these simple ways I believe I will not only cope with disappointments but also overcome.
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