Faithfully Pressing On In The Midst of Disappointment

by Christa Hutchins

The long-awaited email finally arrived, but it was not the good news I was hoping to hear.

Unfortunately we’re not going to be able to use what you have written.  It’s not long enough.

The pain of rejection, failure and not measuring up was raw and real. It made me question my calling.  “Lord, is this is really what you want me to do?”

In the face of crippling disappointment, I had a choice.  I could give up on what I know God has called me to do, or I could trust God’s faithfulness.

I bet you’ve had to make that choice, too.  The choice to trust and believe that the God who raised us up will be faithful to show up.  Because He is faithful, we can have faith in His plan for our good.

But that doesn’t mean we get to just sit around, licking our wounds and waiting for something good to happen.  Oh no.  We must put our faith into action, starting with these three faithful steps.

1.Watch expectantly and intentionally for what God has for us instead. I’ve remained open to other opportunities and I’ve seen those start to open up.  Some small, some large, but all of them moving me in the right direction.

2. Embrace the feedback and make adjustments.It would have been easy to get huffy and ignore the feedback I was given. But God puts these bumps in our road to learn and get better.

3. Look for ways to serve others. Getting my eyes off myself and my disappointment is a sure way to take charge of my attitude.

Whether you’ve met your goals, or seen some of them dashed like I did, trust that God’s got a plan for you and He will be faithful to show up.

Prayer

Father, thank you for showing up every time.  Your faithfulness to me inspires me to have faith in you. Help me watch expectantly for what you will do, even in times of bitter disappointment.  In Jesus’ name Amen.

Discussion: Has God ever showed up in a big way while you were in the midst of disappointing situation?

 

Christa Hutchins is a “doer-of-things” who provides ministry coaching and project management services for speakers, writers and ministry leaders. She loves to take vague, scary, confusing ideas and turn them into specific plans to accomplish a goal, one step at a time. She lives in South Louisiana with her husband in their delightfully empty nest, where you usually will find her with her nose stuck in a book or sipping on a triple tall, non-fat peppermint mocha.

Connect with Christa Hutchins on her Website: DoANewThing.com

 

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Thank you for joining me. This has been a part of my current series, Sweet Smelling Fruit—Cultivating a Heart that Lives by the Spirit. Currently we are taking a look at the fruit of faithfulness. If you would like to read past articles from this series click here.

Is this your first time here? I invite you to join us as we dig in to learn more about the Fruits of the Spirit!   Subscribe to my weekly newsletter to stay up to date on future posts and when new freebies become available.

~Kelly