Thanks Pat; that was good.

Phil.




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "john schwery" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, June 04, 2014 4:40 PM
Subject: Re: How To Stay Strong in Disappointment


Pat, that's good.

earlier, Pat Ferguson, wrote:
>How to Stay Strong in Disappointment
>
>Cindi McMenamin
>
>Wouldn't it be nice if life consisted only of pleasant surprises, not the 
>disappointing ones?
>
>And yet when we meet disappointment head-on, it is a true test of the 
>strength of our faith.
>
>I recently received news that was gravely disappointing. I wasn't prepared 
>for it in the least. It was shocking, really. God had been on a roll with 
>blessings in my life. I guess I'd gotten a little comfortable. And this 
>disappointing news couldn't have come at a worse time...a week before 
>Christmas, just days after celebrating my daughter's college graduation, 
>and just a week prior to my husband's transition into a new season of life 
>that carried with it a lot of financial uncertainty.
>
>My family was daily looking for the little assurances that God had our back 
>and we were constantly praising him for all the times he came through. And 
>now, it looked like the door to my golden opportunity and financial 
>stability had slammed shut. My first reaction, spoken nearly aloud, was 
>"God, this is so out of character for You."
>
>And then I suddenly realized something: God doesn't do anything out of 
>character.
>
>. If God's response to my request appeared out of character for him, then 
>it was is my understanding of the situation that was in question, not his 
>character.
>. If God's timing appears to be wrong, then it is my perception of his 
>timing that I will doubt, not his ability to coordinate all things.
>. If God's love appears to be in question - because of how he has responded 
>to my situation - then it is my trust that is in question, not God's love.
>
>It was then that I understood. It wasn't God's character that was being put 
>to the test in my disappointing circumstances. It was mine. Would my faith 
>stand an unexpected turn? Would I take only blessings from God and not the 
>disappointments, too? Or will I trust him, wholeheartedly, that he knows 
>exactly what he's doing and perhaps this closed door means an even better 
>one will soon be opening?
>
>It's been said that when God closes one door, he opens another. But when we 
>can't immediately see that other door, we tend to panic. At least I do.
>
>It has helped me to remember three things about disappointment:
>
>1. Disappointment is a very real part of life.
>2. Disappointment is something God can use to grow me into someone who is 
>more like his Son.
>3. Disappointment is the measuring stick for how strong my faith is.
>
>I realized, through my reaction to this disappointment, that this 
>comfortable woman - who was secure in her ability, her work, and her 
>finances - was suddenly desperate for God. Desperate for him. And that's 
>exactly where he wants me to be.
>
>And, it occurred to me that I had actually prayed for this disappointment.
>
>Just prior to receiving my disappointing news, I had been praying for 
>change - in my personal life, my marriage, my professional life, and my 
>spiritual life. And yet, more of the same never means change. In fact, 
>growth always means change. God was giving me what I asked for - change! It 
>just came in a package I called "disappointment" and in a way that I didn't 
>expect.
>
>I want my response to God in the disappointments of life to be just as 
>pleasing to Him as my praise during the blessings of life. Can God trust me 
>to be faithful to him regardless of my circumstances, regardless of when he 
>chooses to bless and when he chooses to withhold?
>
>Job once said "Though he slay me, yet will I trust him" (
>Job 13:15,
>NKJV). I haven't been "slayed" - not in the least. I've just been 
>disappointed. So I long for the song of my heart to be, "Though I don't 
>understand why he allowed this, still I will trust him."
>
>Have you been gravely disappointed in your circumstances, too? Are you 
>wondering why God has allowed - or not allowed - something in your life? 
>It's possible he wants you to be desperate for him, too. When we can say 
>our hope is in him, not in what he will do, then we get a little clearer 
>picture of what it means to follow him faithfully.
>
>Trust him through this time of disappointment or uncertainty. Wait for the 
>door that he may soon be opening now that this one has been shut. And quiet 
>your heart, along with me, so that we can say, as the Psalmist did:
>
>"I have calmed myself and quieted my ambitions.
>I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content"
>(Psalm 131:2).
>
>Disappointment or not, I want my faith to be strong and my heart to be 
>pleasing to him. Don't you?
>
>
>Thanks much.
>
>Many Blessings,
>
>Pat Ferguson
>"I can Do all Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me." Phillippians 4:13.