“What area in your life do you need rest from?” This question was recently posed in a group I’m in. As I pondered it, I realized I needed rest from disappointment. It’s a weird answer, I know. How can one rest from disappointment? What does that even mean?
Last year, I wrestled a lot with disappointment. It was quite a conundrum because I know I cannot control when someone disappoints me. The Lord encouraged me to confess the areas I was disappointed in rather than “sucking it up” (remember last week). As I confessed these areas of disappointment, I realized my disappointment was with God.
What area in your life do you need rest from?
With each item I journaled, it became clear my disappointment came from my unmet expectations of God. Over the years, He has made me promises. I have prayed about them, but I decided what kind of package the manifestation of those promises would come in. When they came in a different package, I was disappointed because it didn’t look the way I wanted it to.
Of course, I accumulated a mountain of disappointment because He had made me promises, but He had not told me how He would fulfill them or what they would look like. Instead, I fantasized and daydreamed about how He would answer, then be disappointed when it didn’t look like my fantasy.
My question then became, how do I hold hope and expectation of His promises without working myself into unnecessary disappointment? I am learning to confess my expectations yet invite Him to answer in His way while giving me the grace to recognize His answer and be grateful for it rather than spinning into a “woe is me” tizzy. I am learning to hold an open palm with my hope and expectations in His answers. I’m striving to enter into rest from disappointment. I can only do that by abiding in His rest, even in the promises.
Would you join me, friend, in doing as we have been instructed in Hebrews? Let’s chip away at all the areas of our lives until we come into the fullness of His rest.
Friend, are there any areas in your life where you have harbored disappointment?
“Let us then make every effort to enter that rest so that no one will fall into the same pattern of disobedience?” – Hebrews 4:10
Miracles + Blessings!
Brenda
You have put words to the feelings in my heart that I didn’t know how to express…thank you!!!
Lisa, thank you for reading my blog. I am so glad this put words to the feelings in your heart. I’ll be praying for you!