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“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” Lamentations 3:24 (ESV)

Saturday morning is my fave day of the week. No agenda. No alarm. No rush. Love getting up, splurging with some homemade waffles or pancakes drizzled in whipped cream, fruit and of course syrup. But this girl hasn’t had sugar for two weeks and I’m trying hard to complete a 30 day clean eating discipline. No waffles or pancakes on my list but steel cut oats would do the trick. Hubby and I headed out the door to grab some breakfast. Walked into restaurant tasting those oats only to find they were out. Couldn’t believe it. The happy face dissolved quickly. I so wanted those power oats with almonds and blueberries. Resisted the urge to choose those sweet danishes staring me in the face. Walked right by the cinnamon buns drizzled with icing and settled on two eggs – nothing spectacular. Not my fave Saturday.

Truly minor disappointment here – let’s keep it real. But haven’t we all experienced those moments when disappointment steals our happy. The perceived perfect job slipping through our fingers. The guy we wanted to marry who chose someone else. The ‘just right” dress we saved to purchase to match the incredible shoes no longer on the rack. The event we bought the best seat in the house tickets for failing to deliver. An ever ending list……expectations and hopes crashing at our feet.

Settling for less…..swallowed up in the loss of what we hoped for, what we expected and anticipated leaves us vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy. Satan loves to seize those opportunities to zero in on what we didn’t get. Shouting loud reminders of what we’re missing out on. Ever so quietly whispering doubts attempting to discredit the goodness of our God. If we play that song too long, we will find ourselves joyless, discouraged, bitter, angry, jealous, apathetic……..an endless unraveling of our souls.

Life will not always offer what we feel we deserve or what we dreamed of, but God does promise to be the true source of satisfaction. When we trust in Him and not our circumstances then we can rest in His sovereign plan. We can anchor our souls firmly in His promises and release our expectations. Joy can rise to the surface even in the face of disappointment reminding us God’s goodness is not on short supply. He is our sweet portion and nothing will ever exceed His dreams for us. So when discouragement rears its ugly head sweet friend, let’s acknowledge the emotion but not allow it to overwhelm us. Let’s keep our eyes firmly planted on our God who loves us more than we could ever imagine.

“Father, happy vanishes quickly but inner joy sustains our souls. Help us to never lose sight of Your goodness.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life