<\/a><\/p>\n

I was not allowed to be disappointed when I was a kid. In my family we always had to \u201clook on the bright side\u201d and be positive. Maybe it was because my mom had a lot of hardship in her life. My father left her with two little kids and one on the way. The next man she married turned out to be an alcoholic and abuser. And on and on.<\/p>\n

We could never complain. Somehow complaining was bad and \u201cGod didn\u2019t like it,\u201d we were told. That\u2019s not quite true, but that was the message we received.<\/p>\n

The truth is, bad things do happen.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t get the job you were trying for.<\/p>\n

Your kid is doing poorly in school, even though you\u2019ve done your best to help.<\/p>\n

The man you love says he doesn\u2019t love you anymore.<\/p>\n

Things don\u2019t work out like you thought they would. It\u2019s disappointing.<\/p>\n

A lot of people say, \u201cThink positive! Say these ten positive sentences every day!\u201d But that doesn\u2019t allow for the all<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 the all<\/em><\/strong> of you and the all<\/em><\/strong> of what you experience and, most important, the all of God<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 all <\/em><\/strong>of who is He is and how He wants to connect with you and help you in difficult, disappointing times.<\/p>\n

It may seem that if you let yourself feel the disappointment, you will be overwhelmed by it and never come out of that dark hole. But I think that depends on what you do with disappointment.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what I\u2019ve learned to do with disappointment (and I\u2019m not stuck in a dark hole):<\/p>\n

Acknowledge the disappointment to yourself. Putting it in a sentence helps. \u201cI feel disappointed that\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Take your disappointment to God. Talk to Him. Tell him how you really feel. It helps to write it down. (You can always throw it out later if you don\u2019t want anyone to see it.) He understands. The world is not like He wanted it to be either!<\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve invited Jesus Christ in as Savior, invite Him in as Counselor, Comforter, and Friend. As you invite Him into the hurt and disappointed areas in you, He will fill the deficits \u2013 which are like big holes \u2013 in your heart and mind. Only God can do this, and He does it so well!<\/p>\n

With a trusted friend, create a safe space for both of you to talk about your disappointments. Listen to and acknowledge each other\u2019s disappointments and pain. Pray for each other without telling each other want to do. A sincere \u201cI hear you\u201d and \u201cI\u2019m sorry for your pain\u201d is always good.<\/p>\n

Do this with all disappointments, not just the big ones.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t miss out on the sweetness of the Lord and the fellowship of His sufferings (Philippians 3:10). He knows what it\u2019s like to suffer, and if you\u2019ll draw near to Him in those times, He will draw near to you (James 4:8).<\/p>\n

Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul would have soon settled in silence (Psalm 94:17)<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve practiced this for quite a few years now through some pretty rough disappointments. I can tell you that the sun will come out again and things will look better.<\/p>\n

At the same time, because you\u2019ve kept it real with God, yourself, and others through the difficulties and disappointments, your life will be a whole lot richer and real.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Karen Duckett is a board member and frequent writer for Reach UP. She also has her own ministry of prayer and help, Rescued 4 Destiny – Joel 2 Army<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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I was not allowed to be disappointed when I was a kid. In my family we always had to \u201clook on the bright side\u201d and be positive. Maybe it was because my mom had a lot of hardship in her life. My father left her with two little kids and one on the way. The…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3965,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"article-single-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[405,466,479,488,487,492,457],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3975","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-article","category-becoming-a-better-me","category-emotional-health","category-god","category-jesus-christ","category-mental-health-becoming-a-better-me","category-my-spiritual-life"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n