This year started out with so much expectancy. A new year, a new decade, a fresh start…2020 vision.
But almost as quickly as it started, all expectations and plans came to a disappointing halt. Travel plans, weddings, graduations, and milestone celebrations had to be postponed or canceled altogether.
To be honest, it’s been really hard to stay positive as the year continues.
As I was talking to my friend recently, we realized that with or without the year of the pandemic, life can still be full of disappointments.
Whatever the disappointment is….not getting the dream wedding, not getting the dream job, or missing your graduation…how we respond to the disappointment can significantly impact the trajectory of our life.
Will I stay in that place of disappointment and continually replay in my mind what should have been? Or can I grieve the loss, and change my perspective and find so many other things I can be grateful for?
If I’m not careful, I can let that negative outcome rob me of my future and my joy. I’ve seen it so often that how we respond to these challenges directly affects how our life turns out.
In the book of Genesis, Joseph is a great example of a young man who had faced so many disappointments early on. He was kidnapped by his brothers, sold into slavery, and subsequently imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit. Instead of dwelling on everything he lost, he found an opportunity to serve wherever he was. And because of his attitude and his understanding that God was with him, Joseph didn’t stay stuck in his hurt. And I believe because of that, he was eventually elevated to second in command in Egypt.
I know that this year has not been easy for us. But I pray that we can process our disappointments properly and our character can be strengthened through it. Everything we go through shapes us and can be used by God for good if we allow it.
I don’t know what the rest of this year holds, but I do believe that better days are ahead. And for everything that we have lost in this year, or in years before, God promises to restore in His perfect way and in His perfect time.
~Vijoy
