Dealing with Disappointment

The phones rings.

The number doesn’t look familiar.

“Hello?”

“This is the nurse. The doctor asked me to call you. Your labs came back . . . .”

This is where you really start to listen; but you don’t really hear what is being said because your mind is racing through questions you would have never considered asking. A diagnosis changes schedules, priorities, plans, ambitions. It may shake your confidence, make you question your faith, lead you to examine your relationships, or prompt you to reassess your values.

In the face of such disturbing news some people decide to give up. They settle into the recliner and wait for the end. They may allow those closest to them to tend to their most basic needs; but they would rather sit in silence than accept the care and condolences of their friends and family.

Other folks try to make the best of a bad situation. They listen carefully to suggestions about the best way to manage their condition. They want everything that can to remain the same—hoping they won’t become the center of attention.

Some refuse to resign themselves to accept a diagnosis as a verdict. They are determined to do more than manage the situation. They pursue changes that may reverse their condition, even when others question their resolve. They replace unhealthy habits with new routines which promise greater vitality. 

Sometimes it seems that life changes in a matter of moments—and it does. But the shape of the change depends on what you choose to do in that moment.

In the face of disturbing news, in the midst of crushing circumstances, in the light of disappointing prospects, faith calls the followers of Christ to recognize the savior is near. Even though others may disparage our confidence in him, we must not be dissuaded. Let us throw off whatever prevents us from going to him, acknowledge his power to redeem, and accept the restoration God can give. Then we can follow where he leads.