disappointment Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Daily Thoughts about God

“How long, O LORD, will I call for help, And You will not hear? I cry out to You, “Violence!” Yet You do not save.” Habakkuk 1:2

Do you feel stuck in discouragement? If so, you are not alone.

At some point everyone experiences dashed hopes. Disappointment–an emotional response to a failed expectation–is the normal initial reaction. But allowed to linger, it can turn into discouragement, which hovers like a dense cloud. When that’s the case, there is no sense of joy or contentment, no matter what you do.

The circumstances that trigger these emotions may be unavoidable, but the way we respond is a choice. We can either let sadness overwhelm our souls or face the situation with courage and bring it before the One who can help us.

Living in discouragement will divide the mind, making it hard to focus on anything besides our pain. Then as anger becomes habitual, we’ll look for someone to blame–whether God, people around us, or our self.

Frustration that isn’t handled well may develop into depression, which in turn can estrange us from others–people do not enjoy the company of someone who’s bitter and defeated. This isolation leads to a low self-esteem. Finally, in a fog of discouragement, we can make poor decisions based on crushed emotions instead of truth. Obviously, choosing this self-destructive path is not God’s best for our lives.

Though we’ll all face disappointment from time to time, believers are not to wallow in it. Instead, God wants us to trust Him with everything–even our unmet expectations and deepest sadness.

Remember, there is divine purpose for everything He allows to touch His children’s lives (Romans 8:28).

By Dr. Charles Stanley

Used by permission
http://www.intouch.org/

We’d love to hear from you. If you don’t see our response form, please go to https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/cs_discouragement/

Learn more about knowing Jesus at: http://thoughts-about-god.com/four-laws/

Read: Matthew 1:18-25

To find examples of wise, godly reactions to disappointment, you’re more likely to turn to Psalms than to Matthew. But the very first chapter in the New Testament tells the story of an upright man’s reaction to painful and disheartening news.

Joseph—Jesus’ earthly father—was a righteous person. A godly man wants a wife who shares his desire to honor and obey the Lord, and Scripture indicates that Mary was exactly that sort of woman (Luke 1: 45-55). So imagine how stunned Joseph must have been when Mary returned from a long visit with her relative Elizabeth and told him that she was pregnant. Moreover, she was claiming no man had touched her.

Any way Joseph looked at the situation, it appeared grim. And yet Matthew 1:20 says that he “considered”—in other words, he sought a wise, righteous response. God entered Joseph’s life in a dramatic way to confirm Mary’s story and put a stop to his “quiet annulment” plans.

The Lord turned Joseph’s mourning into joy. Mary had told the truth—strange and startling as it was. The couple would bear the intense public censure of an early pregnancy, but Joseph stopped thinking about what others would say. God had blessed work for him: to raise the Messiah alongside a faithful woman.

Followers of Christ should seek a godly response to disappointments they face. Since the Lord always has a plan, the wisest reaction is to anticipate the good He can do and await His timing. God certainly blessed Joseph for his willingness to “seek first His kingdom” (Matthew 6:33).

By Dr. Charles Stanley

Used by permission
http://www.intouch.org/

Email Visitors, please visit our webpage to leave a comment. We warmly invite your thoughts on this devotional.

Brought to you by www.thoughts-about-god.com

The Trap of Discouragement

Responding to Disappointment

Tag: <span>disappointment</span>

The Trap of Discouragement

Responding to Disappointment