Five Personal Strategies for Handling Disappointment

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Disappointments are part of life. Sometimes they seem to ruin the day – or the week. You are disappointed when your expectations are not met. So how do you overcome the disappointments that come your way?

Give thanks

The very act of giving thanks helps you reframe your disappointment under the sovereign will of God. As a follower of Jesus, you are devoted to doing God’s will. It is what you want every minute of every hour of every day. When your expectations are not met and you are disappointed, pausing to give thanks reminds you that God is still in control! He will not let you down.

Pray

What do you want to teach me? Many times disappointment is allowed by God in order to teach you something. What will God teach you? This is a time to pause and think about why you are disappointed. Was your expectation reasonable? He will help you grow where you need it most: patience, trust, perseverance, dependence, perspective, submission to name a few!

Trust 

As you are learning the lesson God is teaching you, keep on trusting. Jesus is leading your life and he is trustworthy. He loves you more than you can imagine and comprehend. His perspective is based on truth. He absolutely knows what is best for you all the time.

Keep following

Never try to take control of the situation. It is tempting. We want to try to fix things. But when Jesus is leading and we are following, nothing needs to be fixed! So keep your eyes fixed on his leadership.

Expect more disappointment

I know this is bad news but it is true. You will do many things in your life that lead to disappointment. Even Jesus was disappointed at times. People will let you down just as you sometimes will let others down. It is part of life. But it doesn’t have to stop you!

Your Turn

What do you need to do today to handle the disappointment that you recently experienced? Is it still haunting you? I challenge you today to move ahead in the face of disappointment and find the strength to take those steps outlined above.

I further challenge you to share this post with others you know to help them in facing the disappointments of life. As is so often the case, when we help others, we help ourselves! Make a difference today! Be an encourager!