-Contributed by Angela Moreno

An expected promotion is lost. A relationship ends. A lie exposed. Disappointment is all around us.  We expect everyone and everything to be fair and honest but unfortunately that isn’t always the case.

Let’s face it:  everyone has been disappointed at some time in their life.  Even Jesus was disappointed by His closest friends.  When He was facing the most difficult assignment of His life, His impending crucifixion, Jesus wanted His closest friends to be around Him.
Jesus, Peter, John and James went to Gethsemane so Jesus could pray (Matthew 26:36-46).  Jesus is very troubled and sorrowful; He knows what He is facing.  Jesus says to His friends:  “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me” (Matthew 26:38).  Jesus calls out to His Father begging to be spared this horrible death He is facing.

He goes back to check on His friends and what does Jesus find? They are all fast asleep.  He wakes Peter up and asks if it’s too much to ask for them to pray and watch for an hour, and Jesus goes back to pray and anguish again.  Jesus returns a second and a third time to find the men asleep again.  By the third time, it’s too late for them to do anything for Jesus; the moment of Jesus’s betrayal and impending death is here.

Put yourself in Jesus’s sandals.  You are agonizing over something that is bothering you. All you want is support from your friends.  Please help me for just an hour.  Instead you are disappointed that in your desperate time of need, they are sleeping and not there for you. Oh how Jesus must of felt!  He is getting ready to give His life for the world and His best friends can’t even be there for Him for one hour.

To some of you, this may be an extreme story of disappointment.  Most of us are upset that our child lied to us about being out late.  Our spouse forgot our birthday or our anniversary. We wanted that new job so bad and unfortunately it wasn’t meant to be.  I tell you Jesus’s story because I want you to realize He UNDERSTANDS disappointment.  He was disappointed by the people around Him many times.

But how did Jesus handle it?  When Jesus rose from the dead did He throw falling asleep in Peter’s face?  Peter also denied Christ three times.  Did Jesus throw that in Peter’s face? Do you think Jesus is continually reminding Peter of his shortcomings and Peter is saying “All right.  I get it.  I messed up.  Let it go already.”  Absolutely not.  Jesus forgave Peter and commissioned Peter to go spread the gospel.  We can all learn a thing or two from Jesus.

How can we deal with our disappointment? Here are a few tips:

1. Adjust your expectations– Maybe you expect too much from people.  I myself am a perfectionist in many areas so my expectations are really high.  I had to realize that I’m always going to be disappointed because people can’t meet my ridiculously high standards.  I had to make adjustments so I wouldn’t be disappointed.
2. Learn from your defeats– You didn’t get the promotion you wanted.  Find out why. Maybe it’s because you needed to grow in an area or maybe someone was better qualified.  Find out where you need to grow and take the information you learn to better yourself.
3. Build friendships and learn from each other– Maybe someone has been in a similar situation and can help you deal with the situation better.  You don’t always have to face every battle alone.  Usually someone has already been through what you have been through and can teach you what you need to do so you aren’t disappointed.
4.  Go deeper with God– Hebrews 13:5 says:  Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  God is there for us no matter what.  Turn your disappointments over to Him.
5. Focus on Hope– Romans 8:28 says:  And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.  I don’t think that needs any explaining.

We just have to remember that God’s plans for us are bigger than our disappointments. He never gives us more than we can handle and God is shaping us for bigger things.  We can’t let small disappointments discourage us and lead us away from what God wants us to do.

Keep your emotions out of it and don’t take disappointment personally.  Maybe this disappointment is something you must go through to move on to what God has planned for you in the future.  Keep your eyes on God and don’t let any disappointments hold you back.