Overcoming Disappointment and My Brain of Mush!

Feeling disappointment is a part of life. Letting that disappointment control your attitude and behavior doesn't have to become the result.

It's been a week since I put my camera memory card into the little slot, closed the lid, and hit the 'on' button. The camera came on, but instead of the normal auto focus, the words "memory card error" shined across the screen. Attempt, after attempt brought the same result. No picture or videos; just errors and blank options.

"Great", I thought. " I didn't save my video clip."

I called a computer repair shop in town. "Well", said the techie, "those cards quite often have problems. That's why you're supposed to save your pictures and videos on the computer. There is a slight chance that I may be able to recover your stuff on the card, but it is a very slight chance. And your card will be ruined, once the attempt is made."

"Hey, I'm willing to try anything!" I retorted.
You see, the video I wanted was very special to me.

On December 24 of 2012, my hubby and I celebrated (a little late) our 25th wedding anniversary by renewing our vows on the beaches of South Carolina. We had a beautiful short ceremony and we got it all on video, to keep the event alive.  I was so excited the first time I watched the video, once we got home! It came out so clear and was well done! I was SO excited to show my friends and family what a sweet ceremony it was! It was about the most romantic 8 minutes of my life!

Then it was gone that quickly. The techie gave me little hope, but that was enough for me. So I left the card with him, in hopes of success. The next day he reported back to me that he found most of the photos on the card and even a few videos, but not the video of our renewal.

Oh, I was bummed! I went home and studied the ones he did recover. There was one video that still would not allow me to open it. I called the techie again and told him about it. In his "fix-it" determination, he worked on it again, trying another program.

A day later, he called me back. "I got the video clip!" he exclaimed. I was shocked and exhilarated all at once!! I made another trip to the repair shop, where he downloaded the video to my laptop, but first played a few seconds of the video to make sure it was what I wanted. "Yes" I exclaimed! "That's it!" I could not thank him enough!

Back home again, I went right to the video to watch the long-awaited 8-minute clip. The beginning seemed a little different than what I had remembered. It cut in and out, played for about 30 seconds, then abruptly ended. I tried again and again it didn't play all through.

My heart sank. "No! Not again!"
It appeared that, in reality, only a small amount of the video had been recovered. Not much to go on, for sure!

I was twice disappointed.  My emotions had been hijacked and thrown around so much in the last couple of days that I didn't know how to respond.
My stomach started to hurt.
"Why was this upsetting me so much?" I asked myself.
There were several photos that had been recovered. So I had at least SOMETHING.
I know I'm an emotional person by nature, but this was ridiculous!! 
What could I do to overcome my disappointment?

Asking the Right Question                      

After many years of hurts and frustration, I finally realized that the question I should ask God isn't "Why, Lord?" but rather, "What now, Lord?"

• but it's hard to ask the right question when you’re feeling disappointed. It's hard to ask when your heart is breaking. It's hard to ask “What now?” when expectations and dreams have been shattered.
• But your life will begin to change when you start asking God, "What would you have me do now, Lord? God is eager to show you what he wants you to do next.

Where to Take Your Heartaches

In the face of trouble, our natural tendency is not to ask the right question. Our natural tendency is to complain. Unfortunately, griping to other people rarely helps solve our problems. Instead, it tends to drive people away

• But we can't just let it go. We need to pour our heart out to someone. Disappointment is too heavy a burden to bear. If we let disappointments pile up, they lead to discouragement. Too much discouragement leads to despair.

• God listens. He'd rather have us empty our heart to him than keep that bitterness inside. He is not offended by our discontent. 
•  God has the power to change us, our situation, or both. He knows all the facts and he knows the future. He knows exactly what needs to be done.

The Answer to 'What Now?'

When we pour out our hurt to God and find the courage to ask him, "What do you want me to do now, Lord?," we can expect him to answer.

•  The Bible is such an important guidebook that we should immerse ourselves in it regularly.

•  Seeking God's answer to "What now?" helps us grow in faith. Through experience, we learn that God is trustworthy. He can take our disappointments and work them for our good.

 No matter how painful your disappointment may be, God's answer to your question of "What now, Lord?" always begins with this simple command: "Trust me. Trust me."
 (Source)

I had to sit down and consider so many other things to counter-act my disappointment. I started writing all that God would have me learn/gain from this situation.
1. There are many things I can be thankful for...At least I had the photos. At least my hubby loves me enough to plan to renew vows with me. At least I can remember most of the ceremony and all that took place!
2. Maybe I am putting too much emphasis on romance in the relationship. Yes, some romance is a good thing, but it too loses its effect on us as time goes by. The reality is, romance is usually temporary, anyways. Love, though, is for eternity.
3. God is in control. If He wants me to have memories of this on video, He will provide a door to open that will provide it to me.

Along with this disappointment, January has proven to be a busy month, so far! We had several windows replaced in our house and my schedule has been anything but normal. Some days I feel like my brain is pure mush....a million things going in there and everything is in chaos. I take a deep breath when I start each day, saying a prayer that the Lord will get me though. I pray for peace, patience, joy, and trust in Him alone!

Resolved to Praise the Lord!
In 2012, I practiced writing out the gifts God placed in my life. In 2013, I want to continue that practice, no matter what God brings into my life. Some days, I may list gifts that are listed in the Joy Dare by Ann Voskamp. Other days, like today, I will write straight from my heart. I will continue counting from where I left off in my last post, where I listed my gifts.(Here)

Three gifts miraculous:
1,185 - My brother, coming home the first week of 2013, after being hospitalized for 3 months.
1,186 - Being able to go to South Carolina with my hubby and son to renew wedding vows on the beach.
1,187 -  Letting go of my disappointments and trusting God.

 Other gifts:
1,188 - A son who still enjoys spending time with his parents.
1,189 - Getting a little goofy....just for fun!

 1,190 - Walking the beach with our doggies.

 1,191- Enjoying a beautiful ocean view, with the sound of the waves coming in.

 1,192 - Unique artwork (graffiti) that my son liked.

 1,193 - A hug from my son at the beach.

 1,194 - My hubby relaxing with Sophie, watching t.v.

 1,195 - Historical grave-site in South Carolina

This man wore many hats in his day.

 1,196 - Back in Indiana...a quiet, snow-covered spot by the lake.

1,197 - A gorgeous pink sunrise on a cold winter morning.

Linking over at these blog parties:
Walk with Him Wednesday (A Holy Experience)
Winsome Wednesday(My Daily Walk in His Grace)

Thankful Thursday (Grace Alone) Hearts 4 Home Thursday (Our Simple Country Life)
  Sharing His Beauty (Beauty In His Grip)
God-Bumps & God-Incidences(Getting Down With Jesus)

How Long Does It Take?

Source

I was reading these verses and thinking, you know, there are some things I hadn't really picked up on before in these verses.

 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.(Ephesians 6:4)

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.(Proverbs 22:6)

1.  Children (of all ages) need their dad's love and discipline. And God specifically points out that it is their responsibility to instruct and disciple their children! It doesn't say "parents". It says, "fathers". (Not that moms shouldn't be involved in helping discipline.)  But when I think of all the dads that I know, many of them fall far short of meeting that responsibility here. Either they are so harsh and overbearing or they are so lenient and inconsistent that their children don't learn the lessons they need to learn to grow up to be responsible Christian adults. Many fathers are too busy with work, church, and all the stresses of life that they just don't find the time to give enough attention to properly train their children one on one instruction on a regular basis.
2. The other verse, in Proverbs, has always perplexed me. I know many children who were raised in loving, Christian homes who ended up living very ungodly lives as adults. I also have known children who grew up in the worst family environments imaginable, and yet become devoted Christians and responsible adults. I guess I hadn't noticed till just now, though, that it may not be until a child is "old" until he will turn to the "way he should go". The question may be, "How old is old?"

Parenting isn't easy! That is for sure! Especially today, it seems like our kids just aren't growing up and being as responsible until they are well into their 20's (and sometimes even older). I often wonder if our generation of parents have raised our kids in too easy a life. (I know I'm not talking about ALL parents and not all kids turn out bad, but it seems to be much more prevalent today that kids are not growing up as quickly as we did 20, 30, or 40 years ago.) I do feel that this generation of young people do feel more entitled to having their way, having more things, and being more self-absorbed. As parents, this becomes a never-ending battle of us teaching them right values and the world trying to teach them just the opposite. 

As I'm writing, I'm speaking from personal experience. It is a battle that sometimes wears a parent down to complete exhaustion, times of feeling over-stressed, frustrated, and hopeless.  If it weren't for our Lord and Savior, there would be no hope. This is something I need to constantly remind myself.

 

Favorite Scriptures for “Surviving A Prodigal”

3 John 1:4 “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”
Deuteronomy 31:8 “The lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Psalm 27: 14 “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”
Jeremiah 29:11-12 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.”
Jeremiah 31:16-17 “This is what the Lord says: “Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded,“ declares the Lord. “They will return from the land of the enemy. So there is hope for your future, declares the Lord. Your children will return to their land.”
Luke 1:37 “ For nothing is impossible with God.”
Romans 5:3-5 “We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that sufferings produces perseverance; perseverance, character, and character, hope; And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”
Galations 6:9-10 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”
2 Timothy 1:7 “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”
Hebrews 12:11 “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”
James 1:2-4 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

As Father's Day approaches, may we honor the dads who have stepped up to the plate and trained up their children in the way they should go.

God, have mercy on parents with children of all ages and on our future generations! We need Your guidance and wisdom in these difficult times!! Amen.

 

 Linking up at these blog parties:

Grace Cafe' (Reflections of His Grace)

 Wordfilled Wednesday (Internet Cafe')

 God Bumps and God Incidences (Getting Down With Jesus) 

Walk With Him Wednesday (A Holy Experience)

Bless and Be Blessed(Bible Love Notes)

 Faith Filled Friday(Beholding Glory)

Freshly Brewed Sundays (my Freshly brewed Life)

"Surely, He was the Son of God!"

I cannot fathom all that Jesus suffered on the day of His death.

Physically, emotionally, spiritually

After the crowd shouted
"Crucify Him!"
Jesus is flogged and handed over.

Jesus is stripped.
Jesus is dressed up and mocked.
Jesus has a crown of thorns pressed into His head.
Jesus is spat upon.
Jesus is beaten, over and over again.

Simon of Cyrene is commissioned to help carry the cross.
They are led out to Golgotha.
Jesus is given wine and gall to drink
Jesus is nailed to the cross….

Jesus’ possessions are divided between the soldiers who gamble for them.
Jesus has the name “King of the Jews” placed above His head.
Jesus has robbers either side of Him, also being crucified.
Jesus is insulted by passers-by “Come down from the cross if you are the Son of God!”
Jesus is insulted by the Chief Priests and elders, “He’s the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him…”
Jesus is insulted by the robbers too.
Insult after injury…..
“My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?”
Wine vinegar….
Jesus cries out in a loud voice….

 "Into  Thy Hands..."
He gives up His spirit.

  Jesus dies
Darkness…..

Temple curtain torn
Earth shaken….rocks split
Tombs opened…dead raised

 The soldiers replied,

 Oh, that I may truly know the sacrifice He made for me,
that I had died to sin on the cross with Him.
The words, "It is finished." that released Him from the bonds of His earthly body, also have released sin's grasp on me!!

May we never forget that He took on all of our sins that day.

Surely, He is the Son of God!

Linking up at these blogs:

Walk With Him Wednesday(A Holy Experience)

Word Filled Wednesday (Internet Cafe')
 

Winsome Wednesday(My Daily Walk in His Grace

Faith Filled Friday (Beholding Glory)

Grace Cafe' (Reflections of His Grace ')

Heartprint Hallelujahs (Heartprints of God) 
 

Preparing for Palm Sunday

                                                                                     Source: catholicsupply.com via Ann on Pinterest

In ancient times, palm branches symbolized goodness and victory. They were often depicted on coins and important buildings. Solomon had palm branches carved into the walls and doors of the temple (1 Kings 6:29). Again at the end of the Bible, people from every nation raise palm branches to honor Jesus (Revelation 7:9).  
The Bible tells us that a week before his death, people cut branches from palm trees, laid them across Jesus' path and waved them in the air. They greeted Jesus not as the spiritual Messiah who would take away the sins of the world, but as a potential political leader who would overthrow the Romans.

 Listen to this touching video clip, comparing what they were looking for to what He came for.

(Sources: The New Compact Bible Dictionary, edited by T. Alton Bryant; New Bible Commentary, edited by G.J. Wenham, J.A. Motyer, D.A. Carson, and R.T. France; and the ESV Study Bible, Crossway Bibles.) 
The crowds refused to see Jesus as He truly was, placing their personal desires on him instead. We all have to decide who Jesus is for us. Is he someone whom we want to satisfy our selfish wants and goals, or is he Lord and Master who gave up his life to save us from your sins? I prefer the latter!

The people's cries of 'Hosanna' came from Psalm 118:25-26. Hosanna means "save now." Despite what Jesus had foretold about his mission, the people were looking for a military Messiah who would overthrow the Romans and restore Israel's independence.
Today, we sing "Hosanna" to praise and thank the Lord, who saved us from our sins!
 Listen the song and raise up your praises to HIM!
Hillsong Uniited - Hosanna

They waved palm branches as He passed
And hailed Him as their King;
Yet, they knew not of the sorrow
The coming week would bring.

The glad acclaim would soon give way
To jeers and mockery;
In Pilate's court He'd be condemned
To a cross on Calvary.

But Jesus knew He was the price
In God's redemptive plan,
The Sacrificial Lamb come down
To die for sins of man.

The centuries have passed and still
He seeks those lost in sin,
Pleading with unyielding hearts
To repent and follow Him.

On this day we shout our praise,
O, let us not delay;
The palm-strewn path of long ago
Still leads to Him today.

(poem written by Kay Hoffman)
  

May you celebrate and remember Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem,

and His TRUE place as KING OF GLORY!!

And King of our lives!!

 Linking over to these beautiful blog hops:

 Winsome Wednesday(My Daily Walk)

Walk With Him Wednesday(A Holy Experience) 

Heartprint Hallelujahs(Heartprints of God)

Faith Filled FridayFriday(Beholding Glory)

 Fresh Brewed Sundays(My Freshly Brewed Life)