Dealing with disappointment

"The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry" wrote Robert Burns (or at least that's the Anglicised version of his actual words!) And he was absolutely right! A while ago I had planned something for today, and had been really looking forward to it. Then, almost at the last minute, something happened which meant that my plans had to completely change; what I had so looked forward to never actually happened! It can be hard when cherished plans do not come to fruition, but it's part of how life sometimes is. It has got me to thinking about how to best deal with disappointment, and those situations when things don't work out as we might have hoped.

As I began to consider the question, another well known quote came to mind: "It's no use crying over spilt milk". One website I came cross gave the following note: "This idiom means that getting upset after something has gone wrong is pointless; it can't be changed so it should be accepted." Maybe not always that easy to put into practice, but it is nonetheless true! To sulk, moan, or complain may be a natural reaction, but we all know that it doesn't do much (if anything) to help, and may indeed hinder our path to recovery from the disappointment.

When I write a blog entry I always look for an image to go with it. Sometimes it's obvious, at other times I have to search. The image I've used to go with this blog entry was found through using the Google image search facility. I found the image fascinating: not so much the image itself (a person staring into an empty box), but the words which accompany the image: DISAPPOINTMENT The greatest Gift of All. Wow! What an interesting discussion starter!

I guess that the point being made is that if we react to disappointment in a more positive way, it can become something which spurs us on to greater things! Think of Peter, the disciple of Jesus. The lowest point in his life came when he failed Jesus in a big way by denying that he knew him. The gospels tell us that he "wept bitterly" at his own failure - what a disappointment Peter was to himself. Yet out of that failure and disappointment Peter learned the way of humility. In due course he was forgiven and restored by Jesus and became a great leader in the early church. The Bible tells us that God can work every situation for good!

So, as I look back on the day, I still feel an element of disappointment, but I do thank God that I was able to get things done today which I would otherwise not have been done. And perhaps it's made me a little better equipped to deal with disappointment in the future!