Since returning from California, life in Illinois is best described as a “tough re-entry.”  I loved the Golden State:  the palm trees, the beaches, all the friends I made, the weather.  To return to 50 degrees and rain has squelched my spirit.  Part of me is happy to be home, but another part of me truly longs to be back in Orange County.  Even as my Illinois friends are rejoicing about the glorious spring weather, I’m racing ahead wondering why we don’t have 80 degree days yet. I can say with honesty that I’m learning the joy of living in Illinois all over again.

When disappointment strikes, things can never go back the way they were.  But, joy comes when we let God take control of our lives.  In Him, things can change for the better.  It is in God that there is hope for the hopeless and relief for the overwhelmed.

Sounds a bit like a cliché, but honestly, praying and journaling has put a different perspective on my situation.  My disappointment has allowed me to grow in ways that ultimately bring me closer to God.  I’ve seen my patience, empathy and compassion for the hurting enlarge.  God allows me to grow so I can be better able to provide comfort to someone else in the throes of disappointment.

How compassionate do you consider yourself? Have you let the disappointments of life help you discover empathy?  Have the disappointments you’ve faced caused you to be better equipped to tend to the needs of others?  I believe God never wastes a hurt.  He will always use our hurts to change the landscape of our lives so that when we see a brother or sister in Christ that needs help, we will draw on our own disappointments to provide them with understanding, comfort and security.

So commit all your disappointments to God and give Him full ownership of them.  Once God becomes the owner, the disappointments no longer belong to you. God can then accomplish the work of turning your disappointment into joy.