I was riding in the car with my brother, and he said something that kinda blew my mind. “You know, Jonathan. The more I think about it, the more I realize I’m invincible.”
I laughed. But as I thought about the context of our conversation, I actually began to agree with him. The Bible tells us that if God is for us, nobody can stand against us. So if God is orchestrating our steps, even bad things lead to the ultimate purpose of our lives.
The Apostle Paul is a perfect example of this. The legend is that when he was imprisoned, they had to keep changing out the jailers, because they kept getting saved. Crazy, huh? Even when he was being “punished”, Paul’s mission went on and he was invincible. Then even in death, Paul said he would get the prize he was living his whole life for.
Truly, we are invincible. So I’m convinced that even disappointments can lead to good things in our lives if we let them. And here are three ways they can do that.
1. Your expectations go out the window.
Expectations can be some of our worst enemies when it comes to fulfilling God’s plan for our lives. For instance, if Paul expected to be out of prison, he could have easily been discouraged. That disappointment could have made him ineffective.
Instead, he embraced the disappointment and let his expectations go out the window. Then he looked for what God might be trying to accomplish through the circumstance, and he once again became invincible.
2. You have the opportunity to let go.
The old bit of wisdom is that you can’t grab onto the next thing if you’re holding onto the previous thing. And sometime God has to force our hand. Sometimes He allows disappointment into our lives to force us to let go of one thing.
But when that happens, we need to be sure we actually let go and not try to keep grasping for the thing that was taken from us. When disappointment comes, look for the next thing God might be giving you to hold.
3. It brings your attention back to your need for something greater.
Finally, disappointment can be the best thing for us, because it draws our attention to our need for God. I don’t know about you, but I frequently forget how much I need God. I wish disappointment wasn’t necessary to remind me, but I’m glad it does.
Imagine if disappointment was actually a source of hope for believers. Imagine if we started looking for the good that was around the corner instead of wallowing in sadness. Can you imagine how invincible we could be?
Hey Jonathan,
Good words here. I like to think God isn’t caught by surprise. The Bible says He sees the big picture, from where He stands. With our limited scope of vision, what looks like a flaw in the picture is part of a greater masterpiece.
I wonder if disappointment and hope can fill the same space in our heads. I think I’ll try hope next time I feel disappointed and see what happens.
By the way, I found your blog in a review of male bloggers by Andrew Adams at heinspiredme.com.
It’s definitely tougher in practice than it is to write. But I’m making it my goal for sure. 🙂
And thanks for bring this to my attention. Hadn’t seen I made that list. So cool!