Dealing With Disappointment

Habakkuk 3:17 -19 - “Though the fig trees should not blossom, nor the fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he make me tread on my high places”

Man — isn't disappointment — DISAPPOINTING!! We all walk through things that can really be disappointing. These are varied situations and experiences for all of us but the common thread exists:

Disappointment has the ability to "echo" deep in our hearts when we are in a situation where reality did not meet our expectation.

I remember walking through a difficult time in my life. It felt like everything I touched turned to dust — nothing seemed to work out quite right. It was then that I came across the Scripture above and it really came alive to me! I hope with whatever you are walking through today — that the Holy Spirit would allow this to speak to your situation.

We see what prophet Habakkuk was seeing:

• The fig trees do not blossom

• The fruit is not on the vine

• The produce of olives fail

• The fields do not yield food

• The flocks are cut off from the fold

• There is no herd in the stall
  

This was much more than a bad hair day! These were significant things that affected their lifestyle, career, and families. Much like the disappointment we experience today — these are real things with real side effects.

Why is a disappointment so DISAPPOINTING 🤷🏻‍♂️???

• Often there is an expected return.

  All the items in the Scripture above had an expected return. You plant things — you plan to harvest. That happens with us in life, we put in the work and we expect to see the return on those things. We feel like it is a "guarantee" of our hard work.

• You gave both time and work to see the product.

  Anytime you have "sweat equity" (hard work and energy) in something you want to see it come to fruition. If the situation does not you then have to deal with the frustration that comes from feeling you wasted your time in the process.

• Whether we want to admit it or not, success is often judged by output.

  None of us wake up and say "Man — I hope that everyone around me thinks I am a real failure today." So when we walk through disappointing situations, we carry the weight of what will other people think about us. We may also have to fight our own eternal feelings of failure.
  
  

How do we handle our disappointment?

At the end of the passage we get some things we can do in the midst of our disappointment to keep our heart focused.

• We remember that Jesus still has to be "Ground Zero"

  We so often allow so many other things to meet our needs for worth and acceptance. Coming back to remind ourselves that Jesus really is the only one that can fulfill those parts of our heart is key to handling disappointment.

• "I will rejoice in the Lord & will take joy in God"

  Praise will change your perspective. When you begin to rejoice in the Lord your perspective will move off the situation. We can begin to take joy in God — joy is so much deeper than happiness. Joy resounds in our hearts deeper than being happy momentarily can give. Ask the Lord to give you AUTHENTIC JOY in the midst of the situation.

• Remember that "The Lord is my STRENGTH"

  So often we try to navigate and handle these situations in our own strength. This often exhausts us even more than the situation itself. Leaning in and allowing Jesus to be our strength is key. I have to remind myself often: when I am weak - He is strong.

• Ask Jesus for SPIRITUAL STAMINA

  At the end of the passage it says "He makes my feet like the deer, he makes me tread on my high place." Have you ever noticed how swiftly deer move (especially if you are driving on a road they are on)? When I read this, the imagery really stuck out to me. We don't have to get caught up or simply trudge through our disappointment — we can ask the Lord for spiritual stamina. It does not mean that we won't have to still go through the situation but He can give us the grace and perseverance to navigate it.

Even in the DISAPPOINTMENT — may you find SPIRITUAL STAMINA

My prayer is that you would find peace, strength, and rest in Christ today.

- Pastor Ashton