Expectation plus reality oftentimes results in disappointment.

Expectations:

Disappointment is the feeling of being unhappy because something that you hoped for or expected did not happen or because someone or something was not as good as you expected. If not addressed properly, disappointment will result in negativity, pessimism, and bitterness. It may result in our becoming critical of God because we will end up blaming Him for inaction or for not being fair in our time of need.

Dealing with it:

Psalm 22:5 (AMPC) — They cried to You and were delivered; they trusted in, leaned on, and confidently relied on You, and were not ashamed or confounded or disappointed. Here is what we know: all of us will experience disappointment. Everyone does. It’s unavoidable, but how we deal with it is the key. So often people look for comfort and material blessings, but God is more concerned with our character development.

Only believe:

We hate testing and spiritual exercise that strengthens our faith and makes us stronger. God has no use for untamed followers, so He chooses to train us at times through tough, even painful, experiences. We may never fully understand God and His ways, so we must learn to hang in there no matter what. It’s the present we must learn to enhance in order to handle disappointment and discouragement better. God is always working to help us and make us better. Our responsibility is to believe that.

So, when disappointment comes, and it will, let’s continue to seek God and have a better attitude through it, knowing God is for us, not against us. Let’s begin to ask ourselves, How can we grow through this? What can we learn? It’s our choice. We must choose wisely what attitude we will cling to.

Just a thought,

PSS

We really do live in uncertain times.

The world changes:

The ungodly have become more ungodly, and even the godly keep becoming more ungodly. In a world that is constantly changing, there is a place of refuge for all who truly believe in God and His word, His ways — agree with His word, thoughts. God is our refuge!

He never changes:

We can count on His word always being the same and never changing. Jesus, the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever (Isaiah 40:8). The word of God is the only thing we have that never changes. This world is changing so fast — creating uncertainty for many. But God never changes, so we can count on Him, rely on Him, trust Him. He never changes!

He is our refuge:

For some, we need to get back to the basics and renew our thinking to His word so we can walk in His blessings. Psalm 91:1–2 — Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust Him.

Let’s not allow ourselves to get caught up in this world to the point we forget all of God’s benefits.

Just a thought,

PSS

In order to grow and be truly successful, we all need to learn to take full responsibility for our thoughts, feelings, words, and actions.

The blame game:

Blaming others will not help you — it will only hurt you, leave you stuck in life. It won’t allow you to move forward. Complaining all the time will do the same, along with causing you to be miserable. Complaining never resolved anything. This is all some people do — see only the bad and never the good. If you are a complainer, it will hinder your growth in every area of your life.

MYOB:

The Bible teaches us to study to be quiet (1 Thessalonians 4:11). Don’t worry so much about what others do. Concentrate on what you are supposed to be doing.

Own it:

Accepting personal responsibility means taking ownership of your own behavior and the consequences of that behavior. Until we all learn to accept responsibility for our actions and failures, it will be very difficult for us to develop self-respect or even to have the respect of others. We all make mistakes and poor choices. The same goes for when we fail to act when we know we should. There are times when we look the other way when we know the right thing to do is to take helpful action.

So, we all must let go of things that have happened to us in the past and not use them as an excuse for bad behavior. God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us (Ephesians 3:20).

Just a thought,

PSS

In our lives, there is a principle we all live by, whether we realize it or acknowledge it. Genesis 8:22 — As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night.

Do not mock God:

Galatians 6:7 — Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. We are taught that sowing and reaping is huge in our lives. When it says “sow,” it means consistently, continually sow, not a one-time deal.

Be patient:

When we do sow, we will need to be patient, waiting on the harvest to come in. That’s why Paul wrote, Do not grow weary in well doing. We must keep sowing to God’s ways if we want to reap a good harvest. If we do sow bad seed, we must be quick to repent. Ask God to pluck those seeds up, those weeds up.

Sow to the Spirit:

When we begin to do what God wants us to do, this is called sowing to the Spirit (God’s ways). We should just slow down each and every day and ask ourselves, What type of seeds am I sowing? Hopefully, that will help us to sow to the Spirit.

We should sow good seeds so that one day we will reap a great harvest of blessings. It’s always our choice.

Just a thought,

PSS

In a world where many things are seemingly out of our control, it is important to remember that there is one thing we are always in control of — our words. The words that create our thoughts, the words that tell our story, the stories we tell ourselves dictate the way we feel. The way we feel equals our attitude, and that is all under our control.

We control it:

There is not much we can control in our lives. We can’t control what anyone else does; we cannot control what someone else says, or thinks. We cannot always control our circumstances, but we can control what we think, what we say, the things we do. We can control our attitude. Our attitude will determine our altitude. How much we accomplish, the opportunities that come our way are a result of our attitude.

Someone fixes it:

No one likes a bad attitude. In fact, when our kids were small, my wife and I would say to them at times, “You correct your attitude or we will, but somebody is going to correct it.”

We own it:

Our attitude is just that — ours. It’s all ours. If we have a good attitude or a bad one, our choice. So, if we are not happy, we have the ability to change that by changing our attitude. So, through each and every circumstance, we have a choice of what our attitude will be. We have the ability to change our attitude today. Right now.

It’s about how we see things. Our choice!

Just a thought,

PSS