Disappointment

In his book "The Live You've Always Wanted," John Ortberg begins his first chapter with the idea that we all, at some point, get caught in a state of disappointment with our lives. Some how our lives don't measure up to the idea we had in our mind, or the life we think God wants for us.

It's hard to argue with that idea, but the question becomes how do you respond? If I had read that chapter 13 months ago, it would have been easy for me to identify with that sentiment and how lost I felt. I went through a low period, personally, where I knew I wasn't happy with my direction, and I wondered if I could ever fix it.

But there are two ways you can respond to those period of disappointment in your life. First, you can allow yourself to give in, despair, and wallow. Or, you can try and do something about it. Fortunately God gave me the strength to choose that second path, and a year later it is amazing how He has answered my prayers and calmed my fears.

But it took me stepping out in faith, putting in the work, and getting specific with my prayers. This is an idea that I got from the Alpha Course as well. You can't just pray that things will be wonderful and expect that to happen. What does that even mean? And you can't just sit back, pray, and assume God will do all the work for you. It is an effort. Change begins with you, and God can help you achieve that change.

The other thing the chapter reinforced for me was the idea that we need to look beyond our own bubble, our own troubles to truly appreciate all we have been blessed with. It is part of our human nature to become internally focused. But when you step back and look at the world, you can't help but put your problems, disappointments, and short-comings into perspective. We have been blessed by God in many ways, but sometimes we have to take a step back — out of our own heads — to see how blessed we truly are.