Almost Maybes

Disappointments

Have you ever been disappointed?

Ya, I know. Me too. I feel like so often we are faced with disappointment and ask God why or what in the world?? How could you let this happen??

There are a few things off the top of my head that I still can’t figure out a reason for, but because I know God’s heart, I can trust that His ways are good and that He allowed those things to happen for a reason.

God allows us to go through pain, heartache, and struggle in order for His glory to be seen or to bring us closer to Him.

Sometimes it feels like there is no reason for the pain, but I promise God has something in mind. The hardest part is that it may not be revealed to you this side of heaven. It may be that your testimony to someone else brings them to Him.

I don’t know what or why things happen and God allows us to go through certain things, but when I look over the course of my life, I see that God has been so good.

One of my greatest blessings in this life is my husband. I know y'all are probably tired of me talking about him, but really, he’s incredible. The wisdom and heart he has amazes me and gives me the courage to grow and be better in all aspects of my life.

If I hadn’t gone through some disappointments and heartbreak, it wouldn’t have led me to him, and I wouldn’t be who I am today. He has allowed God to use him in a way that has matured me beyond what I could have done on my own.

I think of the country song that talks about the “almost maybes” in relationships.

I thank God that the “almost maybes” didn’t work out in my life, but in the moment I was absolutely crushed.

I was disappointed that dreams and plans were canceled.

Moving half way across the country in the beginning of your senior year? Disappointing to say the least.

Maybe you didn’t get that job you were hoping to get.

Maybe you did get that job and it has led you to disappointment.

Maybe your friend just stopped being your friend out of the blue.

Maybe your facing divorce.

Maybe your waiting for that prodigal to return.

Maybe your facing financial difficulty.

Whatever it is, God has a plan to restore and make things right.

He has a plan to give you more than what has left you disappointed. He has a plan to bless you beyond your wildest dreams, but you have to keep the faith.

Keep on trusting that He has a purpose. Trusting that He will use what has left you broken and use it for His good.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Two of the first verses I memorized as a child: Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not on thine own understanding, in all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths.

Let’s dig into this passage a little.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart: that’s not easy, but it is certainly straightforward. It is also stated as a commandment. Not as a should or could. The Bible urges and commands you to trust with all your heart.

Lean not on your own understanding: His ways are higher. He sees beyond what our human eyes can see. God is not limited by time and human qualities. He knows the end from the beginning, but sometimes we don’t. We can’t rely on what we understand and think about the situation. We have to rely on what God tells us is true about Himself.

In all your ways acknowledge Him: in everything you do, seek to learn and know God. Acknowledge in this verse doesn't mean to simply recognize Him. The original Hebrew word is yada: meaning to know. It's a verb: actively investigate. Just like it said above, our flesh is deceiving but God is perfect in all His ways. He is higher and should be our souls deepest desire. To know Him and seek His face. I was recently talking to someone about my walk as a child of God and how I am learning more and more that Christianity is a life style. I don’t just spend time in prayer and in His word. I am everyday learning to live and breathe it.

And He will direct your path: In other versions it says “make your path straight” but I don’t think thats what God intended us to glean from this. Our paths as Christians are not always straight. Actually, they rarely are. There will be twists and turns, bumps and potholes, stop signs, yield signs, forks in the road, and times we feel like we are completely off the map. But He promised he would direct you. Never leave you or forsake you. You can hold onto the promise that even though it might feel like chaos, He has directed you to this point and will keep directing you if you’ll trust Him and strive to know Him.