The Lesson in the Letdown

Your life is finally falling into place. The stars are aligning and the puzzle pieces are connecting. Your heart overflows with gratefulness. You can see the road in front of you--and it looks good. It is times like these that cause us to recognize and taste the blessings of our Good, Good Father, and bask in His light.

The Unexpected Turn

Then a curve ball rocks your world. You come face-to-face with disappointment. Maybe someone in your life has hurt you. Maybe something you hoped and prayed for didn’t happen. Maybe your world is turned upside down because you or someone you are close to is diagnosed with a terminal illness. However simple or grave it may be, you hit a roadblock, and you may become disappointed in God. How could this happen? Suddenly you can't see that road in front of you anymore, and you may feel your life heading unexpectedly towards an unknown destination. You get knocked down, you become worn and weary, and you can't take another step. You stop—paralyzed—and face the fear of what’s ahead.

This happens to all of us. Life doesn’t go as planned. At some point, our expectations are not met. Our hopes, dreams and goals are not reached. Sometimes the people who mean the most to us hurt us. Maybe you feel like God has let you down, or you’re not at the point in your life you want to be. And you are left wondering, "If all things work together for good, then why is this happening?"

The Bumpy Ride

Step back and take a deep breath. Put your expectations into perspective and consider if they are realistic. What do you truly long for? The special people in our lives are human and make mistakes. If we take a look in the mirror, we might also see that we let ourselves down every day through our natural state of sin. Simply put, our best laid plans may fail, those in our life may disappoint us, and we may disappoint ourselves. At that point, when we are discouraged, what can we do?

Most people would say to let go, and let God. But when we get knocked down, I think sometimes we can only hold on for the ride. This means holding on tight and never looking down! It means clinging to Him and not looking back. We must keep our eyes on Him to get where we need to be. That doesn't mean that we have to blindly trust. We can look into His eyes and ask questions. They may be unanswered for now, and that is okay. We can feel hurt; we can feel pain and disappointment. After all, He did too, and the truth is that we never have to go through it alone. Invite Him to steer, rather than letting your disappointment take the reins. If we just hold on for the ride, Love will find us—even when we can’t see around the corner.

The Road Home

Think back to the last time you felt God’s presence in your life. Go back to that moment when you saw Him working in your life—when He delivered you from a bad situation, when He brought an amazing person into your life, when He answered your prayer, or when you felt His sense of peace. He will always take care of us; it just might not be in the way we expected. He knows the desire of our hearts better than we ever could. Maybe our expectations are actually too low compared to what God is reserving for us. It's about learning to accept and thank God for the rain when we are desperate to see the sun. Sometimes God doesn't give us what we want. But He always offers us much more.

God has naturally placed on our hearts the desire to hope and to dream. But, maybe life is not meant to meet our expectations in the way that we thought. Maybe our ultimate fulfillment cannot be found on Earth, not even in our families or relationships. We shouldn't put that pressure on ourselves or the people in our lives! The truth is that we are left disillusioned when we aim our hopes and dreams at anything but the infinite love of God. Our inner, universal longing can only be fulfilled in His presence. All that we could ever dream of comes to realization in that moment. The Good News is that God is with us, and He will make a way.

So my friends, sometimes life forces us to grow in ways we never thought were possible. The ride home gives us time to look within. This sacred journey offers us the chance—the opportunity—to look for the lessons in the letdown. Spend time with the Lord and ask Him what He wants to teach you through your disappointments. It is in these moments that we must allow His Grace to enter in, exposing, comforting, and expanding our hearts. Refocus your vision, and hold tight to God's promises and truth. After all, the Lord is our Shepherd, and we shall not want anything but Christ himself.