Daily Devo
Truth in Disappointment
By: Gina Welsh
Thursday, September 5, 2024
And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame. Since we know that Christ is righteous, we also know that all who do what is right are God’s children. 1 John 2:28-29 (NLT)
Each of us has had hopes and dreams that didn't turn out like we planned. Our dreams can become well-thought-out plans for our future, but they aren't always fulfilled. Sometimes, they seem to slip through our fingers, leaving us with feelings of disappointment or grief. If left unchecked, our thoughts can drift into doubts, and a thousand what-if's as we struggle to see past the disappointment and loss. Instead of casting our gaze forward and trusting God's new plan, we become paralyzed with doubt. We may even become so distracted by what went wrong, we fail to see God's sovereign plan and provision. It's a difficult truth to accept, but God uses the hard days of life to hone us, chipping away whatever is distracting us from Him. He may use unfulfilled dreams and our well-thought-out plans that went awry to remind us that our satisfaction, confidence, and courage come from Him alone. By focusing on Him, we can discover pleasure and joy in doing what is right, even when everything has gone wrong!
"Happy endings are the result of good choices and consistent discipline put in sequence over a lifetime and faithfully maintained." Chuck Swindoll
Every single day we must make the choice to trust God, fully aware disappointment and failure may happen. The happiest ending of all will be when Christ returns and finds His church (us), not shrinking back but faithfully trusting Him. It may not always be easy, but we stay firm in our faith when things go wrong by remembering what is true. Remember, we may make our plans, but it is God who determines our steps (Proverbs 16:9). The truth is, God has plans for us that are for our good, and not for disaster, to give us a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11). The truth is, God knew us before we were born; every day and every moment of our lives were laid out by Him before a single day passed (Psalm 139:16).
When Christ returns, let's be sure He finds us faithful and full of courage, not shrunk back in shame!