No one enjoys experiencing disappointment.
Disappointments can vary in severity. They can range from something as minor as a dessert not tasting as expected to something as major as realizing that the person you thought you would spend the rest of your life with is not the one.
In the book “It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way” by Lysa TerKeurst, the author addresses the topic of disappointment. I can’t help but relate disappointment to our expectations, which reminds me of a quote in the Big Book of AA.
The quote on expectation in the Big Book of AA goes like this:
EXPECTATIONS “My serenity is inversely proportional to my expectations. The higher my expectations of other people are, the lower is my serenity. I can watch my serenity level rise when I discard my expectations. But then my ‘rights’ try to move in, and they, too, can force my serenity level down.
We need to lower our expectations regarding people and pretty much anything in this world. We live in a fallen world, and everyone is a sinner, just like us. The only one we can truly trust and hope in is God. Everything else will fail us.
I understand that this might be a grim realization, but consider the following. Think about some of your disappointments, especially when it comes to people. Can people really meet our expectations? Isn’t that a tall order? How can anyone even begin to know the precise measure of happiness we need?
I am thinking of the woman who creates a spot in her yard with a paved patio and a fire pit in the center. She arranges benches and chairs all around, envisioning family sitting around making smores and memories with story-telling. The thing is, her dreams may not come to fruition because they rely on people and circumstances. There are so many variables that can make those dreams go sour.
Can you see it? Can you see how some of our dreams can’t possibly come to reality because of our high expectations? That woman becomes disappointed when, although the family comes out, she realizes someone forgot the Hershey chocolate bars, or it starts to rain, or someone starts an argument.
Sadly that is how disappointments arise even in marriages. We have high expectations from someone who we think we make us happy. Again, that is a tall order.
Consider that your trust should only be in God. Get into His Word and get to know Him. He is the Giver of Life, your Creator, and the only One who knows exactly what you need to make you happy. It probably has little to do with material things and more to do with His supernatural peace and contentment.
I mentioned Lysa’s book above. She understand and knows all about disappointments. Take it from someone who knows.
God bless you!