One point. 27-26. It was so close, but in the end South Africa could not achieve the victory over England in the packed stadium in Twickenham on Saturday.

 

Disappointment in any area of our lives remains awful. It's awful when a dream relationship ends. It's awful if a financial decision goes awry or if you drop out as a top 2 candidate for a job. It is even awful to experience the disappointment your child experiences when he or she has trained hard for a particular sport and does not win a medal.

 

Yet, I believe that along with the awfulness of a disappointment, there is also a gift locked up in it. It forces us to stop and examine ourselves. It makes us dependent on God. And it even gives us momentum going forward if handled properly. I wrote this powerful quote recently: “Disappointments are God's appointments.”

 

During disappointments, we may experience God in a new way if we listen carefully. He wants to encourage us to keep going forward. Amidst the great disappointment of being captured into exile, feeling as if God abandoned them, He still spoke to them in Jeremiah 29:11: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

 

God still wants to meet with us duringdisappointments, hurt and even self-blame. Let us be silent for a moment and listen. We might be surprised at how close we experience the Holy Spirit. God bless.

 

 

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