Devotionals for the Heart: How to deal with disappointments in this life

How to Deal with Disappointments
A devotional by Colleen C. Howard

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”—Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV)

Have you ever been disappointed when someone didn’t show up?

I’m feeling sure we’ve all had our hopes dashed when the promise of seeing someone fails to happen. Whether you’re waiting at the coffee shop, the airport, or at home, the common thread is this: You are waiting. You are waiting with a heart filled to the brim with joyous anticipation! But in an instant, it fades away with a message that says, “I’m so sorry, but I need to reschedule.”

That feeling of joy has just been ripped from your heart, causing a tiny crack in your armor just big enough for the enemy to sneak his way in. His goal is to burrow into your thoughts with lies like, “I’m not good enough. I’m not important enough. I am unworthy of this friendship.”

I’ve had my share of disappointments and it seems impossible to drive away the piercing feeling of discouragement. It wells up in your soul, spills from your eyes and lingers for a while. Be patient with yourself and you will eventually emerge from its grip.

But how do you restore the joy that propelled you into this moment? Instead of giving power to this line of thinking, take time to pray for your friend who might be facing a similar setback. Instead of giving power to the enemy, ask God to part your sea of tears and see you through the disappointment.

Circle back to what you know about your Creator (God) who cares for you and always shows up on time. His plans are for your welfare, and He will never abandon you. In the middle of the waiting, God is there for you, every single day.

He’s not just with you for the fabulous, “I can’t believe it! I want to tell the whole world!”, days. He is with you every day. Even in the most horrible, no-good day that seems to never end, Jesus Christ is right beside you. He carries you when you can’t walk, speaks when you can’t speak, and gives you strength when you are battle weary.

Disappointments are a part of life and usually show up when we least expect it.

What can we do to recover from disappointments? Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes and thank the Lord for His many blessings. He is with you through the disappointments and the victories, days filled with heartbreak and the ordinary days in-between. God is always present in your life. Look and you will see Him, listen and He will comfort your heart.

Our hope is in Christ alone. He is divine, loving, powerful, compassionate, majestic, and ever-present. Every single day with Jesus is a gift, and another day to serve Him.

Let’s Pray:

Dear God,

Open my eyes and fill my heart with your unspeakable joy. Remind me to look along the path You set before me and allow me to see a glimpse of your plans for me. You go before me, walk beside me, and my hope for the future rests in you alone. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

~*~
Song of Reflection #1: “In Christ Alone” by Keith & Kristyn Getty (feat. CityAlight). Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “I Will Carry You” by Michael W. Smith. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #3: “I Know the Plans (Audrey’s Song)” by Dámaris Carbaugh. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #4: “Come and Fill My Heart” by Avalon. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #5: “Counting My Blessings” by Seph Schlueter. Listen to it here.


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Author Bio:

Colleen C. Howard is a follower of Jesus Christ, educator and writer. She lives with her husband in the Arizona desert where the sunsets are spectacular, the summers are relentless and the winters are a little slice of Heaven. 

Colleen earned her Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership. This degree opened opportunities to write science curriculum, develop district programs, work with Arizona teachers, community leaders, and more. With NASA Grant funding, she was also able to work with teachers all over the country and expand their knowledge of teaching science as a collaborative effort.

Over the last few years God has placed a strong desire in Colleen’s heart to shine a light on God’s presence throughout ordinary days and encourage women in their faith walk with Him. Although some days bring trials and others bring joy, Colleen believes that if you fix your eyes on Jesus then you will see the heart of God.

Colleen’s writing has been published in the following online publications: Living By Design, Her View From Home, Inside Out Worldwide, Inkspirations, and in anthologies like From Ruins to Restoration, Mountains Moved: 45 Devotions of Bold Faith, and The Miracle of Prayer. She is a monthly blogger for Dressing in God’s Love.

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Connect with Colleen:
Website: authorcolleenchoward.com

Devotionals for the Heart: Don't Give Up, LOOK UP to God! He'll help you.

Don’t Give Up
A devotional by Chaplain Paul Anderson

And David said unto Achish, “But what have I done? and what hast thou found in thy servant so long as I have been with thee unto this day, that I may not go fight against the enemies of my lord the king?” –1 Samuel 29:8 (KJV)

David, the courageous warrior who defeated Goliath and several other threats to his country, was fired several times.

When King Saul grew jealous and tried several times to kill him, David was fired. He lost his job and physical security. Now impoverished, David fled to the wilderness and ultimately became a mercenary. He fought with the Philistines against enemies other than Israel.

After a few years of marauding success, David and his mercenaries failed a security screening within the army of the Philistines. He was fired again. “But what have I done?” he said.

Every time I read this story, I am catapulted backward in my life story to the times when I too was fired, twice. If it has never happened to you, count your blessings. Losing a job—especially when it happens unexpectedly—makes you wonder about your calling, your value in the marketplace and your personal worth.

This Bible story about King David gives six points of instruction about how to make your transitions setups for future triumphs. When we outgrow our current positions, get fired or get promoted, David left an example of how to spiritually and graciously move on. 

After being fired for outgrowing his former position, David did six things:

#1: He grieved his losses.
#2: He encouraged himself in the Lord.
#3: He responded immediately and appropriately to crisis circumstances that enveloped him.
#4: He maintained his integrity and the caliber of his leadership.
#5: He recognized that God’s hand was preserving and preparing him for a higher calling.
#6: He prayerfully walked into God’s next assignment for him.

Losses of all kinds demand grief. Grief is simply the lamentation of insecurity brought about due to changes, controlled or unexpected. Insecurity can even exist when we have confidence in the providential assurance of divine anointing and appointment.

David encouraged himself in the fact that he was anointed by God. He met every disappointment and danger knowing that God had shared a vision of his destiny. The lion and the bear were preparations for his Goliath experience. Goliath was preparation for his military leadership. The care for the men who followed him into battle and their families was proof of what character he would display in his role as King.

What vision has God given you? What experiences have you survived that demonstrate how time and circumstances have been preparatory for your destiny? Encourage yourself in the Lord! Sing some songs of comfort. Rehearse a testimony of deliverance in your life. Reflect upon a moment of inspiration or divine intervention and remember how God is always with you.

The New King James Version of the Bible translates Ecclesiastes 9:10 with these words: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.”

When David returned home, three days after being fired, his home had been ransacked and burned. His family and the families of his men had been kidnapped. David consulted God. He needed a reaffirmation from God of his destiny and direction.

Don’t be hasty in your next steps. Consult God. Once affirmed, go heartily, with diligence in pursuit of Divinity’s next step for you. Leaps of faith always entail risk but trusting God’s guidance has dividends that are often unseen until reviewed in retrospect.

Soon after his victorious return to Ziklag David is informed about the death of Saul and several of his sons. He realized that the hand of God had kept him from being involved in a military attack against Saul and Israel. It was then that David realized that his setback was God’s way of protecting him and preparing him to come back to Judah, not as shepherd or soldier, but as King.

David did not gloat over the death of Saul. In fact, he grieved it as a personal and national tragedy. He prayed about his next step. Where should he go? How should he engage his anointing to be king?

Here is a final instruction for us: Seek and listen to the voice of God. Act accordingly.

Whenever God sets us up, we should enter our new roles with humble confidence. Let the “men of Israel”, those whom God will choose, declare, celebrate, and inaugurate you. Be humble but confident in the role to which God will deliver you. When He does open your new job to you, prayerfully seek to grow in wisdom, stature and favor with God and man.

Let’s Pray: Dear God of providence and destiny, if anyone reading this is in transition after being promoted, retired or released from their meaningful employment, please help them to feel your presence. Do for them what you did for David and reaffirm your plan for their lives. Set them on a path to fulfillment. Guide them and guard them along the way. Deliver them from evil and into your purpose for their existence. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “Just the Beginning” by Kurt Carr with the Kurt Carr Singers. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Chaplain Anderson served for 20 years as a U.S. Navy Chaplain. Over 26 years of active duty, he was promoted through the ranks from Seaman Apprentice (E2) to his final rank as Commander (O5) in the Chaplain’s Corps.

Prior to his Naval career, Chaplain Anderson pastored in the Allegheny East and Potomac Conferences of Seventh-day Adventists. His undergraduate preparation for ministry was completed at Washington Adventist University in Takoma Park, Md.

He has subsequently earned four graduate degrees: a Master of Divinity from Andrews University in Michigan, a Master of Education in Counseling and Personnel Services from the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland and a Masters of Sacred Theology in Religion and Culture from Boston University. His Doctor of Ministry degree was conferred by Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C.

Chaplain Anderson also completed four units of Clinical Pastoral Education at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He also holds certifications in Suicide Awareness and Prevention, Civil Mediation, Alternative Workplace Dispute Resolution, Temperament Analysis, Marriage Enrichment, Workforce Diversity, and is a certified Life Coach.

You may connect with Chaplain Anderson via email at this address, psanderson75@gmail.com.

Devotionals for the Heart: Dreams

Following your God-given dreams
A devotional by Chaplain Paul Anderson

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." – 2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV)

Most of us would never steal and find cheating to be reprehensible. Yet, we often steal from ourselves by minimizing or failing to live up to our own potential.

We do this by rationalizing or justifying why now is not the time to act on a flash of inspiration or a task that looms larger in the light of procrastination than the reality of applied effort. Philip James Bailey, an English poet of the 19th century, said, "The first and worst of all frauds is to cheat one's self."

There may be several reasons why we cheat ourselves. The first is because we esteem ourselves to lowly. The second may be a lack of courage. Lack of courage occurs on a continuum of fear. At either end is failure or success. The third condition is often fear of regret. Let me challenge each, briefly.

At some point in my early years of pastoral ministry, the verse above came to life in my being. I dreamed and watched a dream come to greater fruition than I could have imagined. In retrospect, even though I was now awake, I was not courageous enough to walk into that portal of destiny.

God directed me to plant a church in Reading, Pennsylvania. We named it Rehoboth. We found a temporary worship site, but God planted a thought in my mind. I called the Lincoln Hotel to inquire about renting one of their three ballrooms on Sabbath from 8:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. for one year.

I was referred to the owner, a kind, elderly Jewish woman. When we met, she asked me what I wanted. My reply was clear and succinct, to rent one of your ballrooms every Sabbath for one year. Her reply still echoes in my mind to this day. She said, “Why rent a ballroom when you could own the entire hotel?”

I responded that I don’t need the entire hotel. She persisted in her inquiry. I responded that “My mission was to plant and build a church, I know nothing about hotel management.”

When I perceived that she was serious and that she was responding to a movement of God in her life, my thoughts and dreams expanded. I did not ultimately acquire the hotel, because my faith was too small, but the lesson that I learned from that event was that we often miss God’s best for us because of our own timidity, flawed humility, broken spiritual connections and an inability to see and receives gifts from God with a thankful spirit.

There is a difference between humility and low personal regard. A lump of coal, when fuel is needed, is more valuable than a diamond. A diamond really is a lump of coal that persisted for a long time while under intense pressure. I was given a diamond and did not know how to receive it. I did not feel worthy, or qualified. God can and does call the gifted. He also gifts the called.

So, a remedy for cheating ourselves is to reassess our value, first within and later in each of our social contexts. Pray, meditate, communicate with God, not just about what we want from Him; listen to what He wants for you, then He will guide you into what He needs you to do.

The issue of courage, or the lack thereof, is an internal fight. Harold Wilson coined a secret of success when he said; “Courage is the art of being the only one who knows that you are scared to death.” Practice helps to overcome fear. Self disciplines, like getting up earlier in the morning and making time to commune with God can change your immediate perceptions and open your perceptions to God’s plan for your day and your future.

Act on your initiatives with prayerful boldness. Divorce your mediocrity. Stop waiting to find yourself or to be found and valued. Prayerfully dream of the life, career, experiences and acquisitions that you would like to have, then get about creating it. It is when we take the requisite steps toward fulfillment that God intervenes. Put your foot into the stream of your destiny and God will part the way for your successful journey!

~*~
Author Bio:

Chaplain Anderson served for 20 years as a U.S. Navy Chaplain. Over 26 years of active duty, he was promoted through the ranks from Seaman Apprentice (E2) to his final rank as Commander (O5) in the Chaplain’s Corps.

Prior to his Naval career, Chaplain Anderson pastored in the Allegheny East and Potomac Conferences of Seventh-day Adventists. His undergraduate preparation for ministry was completed at Washington Adventist University in Takoma Park, Md.

He has subsequently earned four graduate degrees: a Master of Divinity from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan, a Master of Education in Counseling and Personnel Services from the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland and a Masters of Sacred Theology in Religion and Culture from Boston University. His Doctor of Ministry degree was conferred by Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C.

Chaplain Anderson also completed four units of Clinical Pastoral Education at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He also holds certifications in Suicide Awareness and Prevention, Civil Mediation, Alternative Workplace Dispute Resolution, Temperament Analysis, Marriage Enrichment, Workforce Diversity, and is a certified Life Coach.

Thankful Thursdays: God's Light

It's Thursday and I'm thankful for God's Light in the darkness!

If I’m going to honest, a lot of real world situations have been weighing heavily on my heart lately. But true to how AWESOME God is, He returned the lyrics of a song to my mind. It’s a song that I haven’t heard since I was a child listening to WGTS 91.9 FM.

God often uses this method to encourage me. It usually goes like this: God breaks through the darkness with His Light by sending song lyrics into my mind, I look up the lyrics on YouTube and then listen to the song only to find out that its message is exactly what I needed to hear in that situation!

The song that God brought to my mind this morning is “Praise the Lord” and the video that I watched on YouTube featured a LIVE performance of the song by Russ Taff.

It truly encouraged my mind and reinfused HOPE into my heart as God's Light broke through the darkness. After listening to this song, I was reminded to focus on what truly matters (living for Jesus Christ and knowing that in the end, HE wins!). The song also reminded me to remember my true identity as a child of God. We are His creation. He loves us with ALL of His Heart and He has unlimited resources to help us through any and every trial that we may face here on Earth.

Life is easier to deal with when you have Jesus Christ in your life and rely on God. His power is greater than every force of evil. He is the Light in the darkness. There’s always hope when God is in the picture and the GOOD NEWS is that God is always in the picture!

I’d like to share the song with you too. Watch it via the video below:

God bless you, sweet friends.

Love,

Alexis A. Goring
Founder of "God is Love" blog