Have you looked at where you are sometimes and think of where you’d thought you’d be at this point but you aren’t there?
Sometimes, it can be shocking, could be sadness, frustrating or maybe it could be a breath of fresh air but many times, it seems like the road changed under our feet and it can be frustrating.
So, a few stories.
I had a job that I loved. It was a place where I gave my heart and soul to it and saw it grow through changes both through good and not so good times but kept moving forward, reinventing myself.
I’ll never forget when I was told that I was no longer needed and the how was mean, cruel and how excruciating it was to hear and feel the treatment of being cast away.
A few years ago, I had another very trying work experience. To sum it up, the boss I had was a tyrant not only to myself but to the entire staff. I had never been threatened with such an arsenal in my life.
I look back now and see that there were some lessons learned from the battle but….
I look back now and see that there were some lessons learned from the battle but….
Disappointment was at my door again. I hated the early morning drive into the office because I wasn’t sure what shoe would be dropping, what complaint would be brought up, what threat would be unleashed, what debilitating accusation would be thrown to try and crush the spirit…
Just never knew what to expect and because of it, for a guy who could sleep through pretty much anything, I was having sleepless nights and panic attacks.
Both those events sent me in directions that I hadn’t expected; the roads that I was about to embark on were not in the original personal mapping plan.
But what if in the bigger plan and picture for our lives, we had to go through the storm to get to where we were to be strategically placed?
I’ve come to realize that it doesn’t mean that the road I was on wasn’t the right one; it just means that my growth to come meant that the geography was to change.
The trouble with disappointment is that when it hits, it seems to bore deep inside to the core.
So a while ago, it occurred to me that with some of the disappointments that I’ve gone through, the only way to get through it is to go through it.
So a while ago, it occurred to me that with some of the disappointments that I’ve gone through, the only way to get through it is to go through it.
It could even sound trite or even clichéd but think about it for a minute; sometimes, the only way out is through. Many times, I wished for, prayed for whatever the issue was, it would disappear, I would suddenly jump over it to get over it, around it etc
But generally speaking, going through is the way that brings us strength, heals, creates opportunity to become wiser, maybe soften the edges, makes us appreciate the good things we have been blessed with in our lives, it even can help us figure out how to treat others well and maybe helps us grow more than we did before.
Let’s be honest; it’s tough to hear or know when our plans get dashed, ripped out of our hands, life pulls us into a different path.
Let’s be honest; it’s tough to hear or know when our plans get dashed, ripped out of our hands, life pulls us into a different path.
But maybe, just maybe we have a tool box of skills, abilities that wouldn’t be exercised and allowed to grow if we stayed where we were.
So, it’s all in how we look at our present circumstances. Maybe it’s to see that in the grand design of our life, the creator has built in us the ability to adjust like a GPS to new circumstances, roads, life twists and even though we may not know have known it before, there is more strength in us than we can imagine.
Maybe it’s to see that in the grand design of our life, the creator has built in us the ability to adjust like a GPS to new circumstances, roads, life twists and even though we may not know have known it before, there is more strength in us than we can imagine.
So here are a few thoughts regarding disappointment to encourage you this weekend.
“Disappointments are not meant to destroy you; they are meant to strengthen us.”
“When you have no expectations, you’ll never have disappointments.”
Food For Thought: If I knew how the road I’ve been travelling on would have taken its twists and turns ahead of time, I may have rejected the very turns that have brought me to where I am today.
Does it mean that I felt the disappointment less because of where I am today? No, but I am grateful that I’ve been learning to embrace the geography of change.
Next week, we’re going to continue the thought progression of the disappointment of Geography: We’re going to look at a great ancient figure, Elijah and his geographical life changing moment. I can hardly wait to talk about the Broom Tree in the story because it has incredible implications for those of us who have felt like at different points in our lives, we’ve been sent careening off the road or so it seems…
“Sometimes, the disappointment of Geography creates a stumbling, staggering condition for it is in this state that depression like symptoms creeps in from behind.”
There’s lessons to be learned in the Disappointment of Geography!!
Forward Friday Hope….
Dave
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