Turn Disappointment to Thanksgiving by Norman Vincent Peale

Turn Disappointment to Thanksgiving Your setback may actually be a wonderful new appointment or plan for your life, namely, God's plan. By Norman Vincent Peale Disappointment is a prevailing and common adversary of the human spirit and may strike you almost anytime. Therefore one should learn to deal with it. Four verses can be of great help in so doing. “Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward” (Hebrews 10:35). When disappointment strikes, simply hold tight to your confidence. Do not petulantly toss it away. Instead, affirm. I am confident. I believe. It will require some mental and spiritual effort to maintain confidence. Your tendency may be, in desperation, to toss it. So focus your mind by an act of will on confidence. The promise of the text is that such practice will bring great reward. “Bless the Lord, O my soul and forget not all his benefit” (Psalm 103:2). The practice of thanksgiving is a great viewpoint changer. Add up all the benefits you possess. This wise verse tells you to start thanking the Lord for all the benefits He has given you, instead of mentally, and perhaps vocally, harping on what you glumly believe has been denied you... Be content with what you have; for he has said, “I will never fail you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). The word contentment derives from two Latin words, con and tenere, meaning to hold together. When you have faith in God, your mind will hold together so efficiently that you can always recover from a disappointment. Thus you can be content and, out of contentment, great things can happen. “We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). When disappointed, try loving God all the more. Carefully analyze yourself to make certain you are thinking and living in harmony with His spiritual purpose. It could be that you are off the spiritual beam. Instead of dwelling upon the word disappointment, think of it as “Hisappointment.” What you regard as a disappointment may actually be a wonderful new appointment or plan for your life, namely, His plan. Always take a positive view toward disappointment. It could be that through disappointment you are being shown another way or being led toward something different. If you have tried sincerely and prayerfully, and things have not gone well, then look upon disappointment as an opportunity to ask whether you should move under God’s guidance in another direction. This article is excerpted from Navigate: How the Bible Can Help You in Every Aspect of Your Life..

The Joy of Disappointment by Bill Crowder

While in Bible college, I auditioned for one of the school’s traveling musical teams. I was excited about the thought of being able to be involved in that ministry, but was crushed when I failed to make the team. In my disappointment, I could only trust that God’s purposes were greater than mine. Months later, I had the opportunity to join a different musical team, but as the Bible teacher. The results were more than I could have imagined. Not only was my future wife a part of that team, allowing us to serve Christ together, but it also gave me many opportunities to preach over the next 3 years—priceless preparation for a life of ministry in the Word. Many times we struggle with the reality that our Father knows what is best. We assume our way is right. But, as we rest in Him, His purposes always prove to be for our good and His praise. To be honest, that’s easy to see when the outcome is better than we had hoped, but difficult when we can’t see the good right now or maybe won’t till heaven. As wise King Solomon said, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Prov. 3:5-6). Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah, Pilgrim through this barren land. I am weak, but Thou art mighty; Hold me with Thy powerful hand. —Williams God’s purpose for today’s events may not be seen until tomorrow.