Hi Pat,
Thanks for sharing.  I remember when I was little I used to think my
dad was being unreasonable when he told me not to play in that
tempting flat paved street in front of the house.  Then I got old
enough to understand getting by a car could kill me, and dads words
made sense.
I've had the same experience with my Heavenly dad so often, I may
actually be learning to think  before I let the disappointment take
root.  I sure hope so.
Thanks for the reminder.
Love, and Blessings,Donna


On 6/4/14, Pat Ferguson <[log in to unmask]> 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.
>