Disappointments or Blessings?

Have you ever had a huge disappointment turn into a blessing? I’ve experienced it many times!

When my girls were much younger, there came a time when we knew a bigger home was needed. Thus began the search. If you’ve ever gone house hunting, you know it can be fun and exciting—it can also be exhausting and discouraging. 

Finally, we found what I thought would be perfect. Even though the house itself wasn’t that much larger than what we were living in, I got caught up in the fact that it had a lovely backyard and a swimming pool. We put a bid on the house, but didn’t get it. I was devastated. Soon after, we found another home that had far more space and a huge backyard in a beautiful neighborhood. Although the retired couple had many offers, they decided our family was the right fit, and they accepted our bid.

Jump ahead a number of years. There was a time when I was pursuing a certain literary agent to represent me. She was well-liked by her clients and well-known in the industry. We hit it off. I thought she was a perfect fit for me, and I had my heart set on working with her. But things didn’t end up the way I’d envisioned, and I was soooo disappointed. How could things have spiraled after all the time and effort I’d put in?

One of my daughters had yearned for something to come to fruition for some time, but she kept hitting roadblocks. In the midst of one disappointment after another, many tears were shed. She fought to make something work, but it wasn’t meant to be.

Both of us have been able to look back and go whew! We experienced some heartbreak, but now we rejoice because we can see that God was protecting us! Had our prayers been answered the way we wanted, we would have been in situations that could have brought long-term frustration and disappointment. Instead, God—in his timing—has revealed something better for us. It certainly wasn’t what we had initially envisioned, but he knew what we needed to have not only success, but peace.

It hurts to want something so badly—like a dream—and do everything in our power to make it happen, and then think it may be destroyed right in front of us.

But what if the dream itself isn’t destroyed, but only the way we thought it would come to pass? What if God has something even better than what we could have imagined?

I came across this quote on Pinterest by Mandy Hale the other day: “Faith is moving forward even when things don’t make sense, trusting that in hindsight...everything will become clear.” 

The Bible says something similar: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1 NIV).

In pursuit of your own dreams, when you experience disappointment, will you trust that God has your back? Remember  . . .  disappointments can turn into blessings!

Have there been times in your own life when you’ve been discouraged and then later realized what you experienced was for the best?

Dawn