Dealing With Disappointment

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13

During one of our load shedding times, I listened to a podcast. The speaker was addressing trauma and its impact on us. He spoke specifically of the pandemic, but applied the principles to other traumas as well. He warned against the accumulation of disappointments in our lives—not dealing with them—and how that can be destructive.

I appreciated what he shared. When I was lying in bed after load shedding that night, I reflected on the podcast. I was struck by the fact that I’ve come through many years of trauma, and I’m not carrying a heavy load in my heart from those years. I realized God has helped me time by time to take things to Him. He lifted the weights from my heart, and tenderly carried me through each situation, each hard time, each disappointment, each trauma. He has sustained me! He has been so good to me.

I laid in bed and had the sweetest time of worship, thanking the Lord for His goodness, His grace, and His mercy to me. I am so, so grateful that He has been with me each day of those trauma-filled years. I thought back to specific instances that were so hard…times when I had cried buckets of tears…times when I didn’t think I could keep going…times when I felt so alone without Floyd…times when I didn’t know what to do…times when I was so weak physically. God met me in His faithfulness in each instance. I could never have survived without His great love and care. A friend commented that He has been my “trauma absorber.”

As I come back to my present situation, I have concerns about my health. I’m not sure what’s ahead. I truly have to live one-day-at-a-time and take care of myself in that day. But I’ve also become aware that there is a sweet joy of the Lord surrounding me. I feel I’m being carried by His joy, which is my strength. He is with me in the midst of this ongoing affliction. He helps me keep my eyes on Him.

My heart is overflowing with gratitude to the Lord—for His sustaining grace all these years, and for His joy in these present days. He is beyond good and faithful—He is my everything!

Father, we see Your faithfulness to Sally throughout great trauma, and it bears witness to how You desire to act on our behalf as well. May her testimony give us hope in the trauma of our own lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.