Bitter Disappointments

Some days you awake with reasonable expectations, only to discover that your day goes completely the wrong way. Often, it is involuntary, imposed by another.

Recently, a cat was brought to the kennel. She hated it. Every day. For ten days.

This week I've had to deal with some disappointments. Some were reasonable expectations of others who failed, others were my own unreasonable expectations. Either way, it's been a difficult and emotional week.

Because each situation was out of my control, I didn't want to spend too much time stewing over the problems. This wasn't easy. I found myself praying - a lot! Frankly, I had to tell God that the disappointment was too much at one time, and too deep. In short, I told him to handle it.

And he has. While the situations have remained, I've let go of the pain, the desire to be vindicated, and the wallowing in self-pity (okay, mostly).

This option is open to you today as well. If you are not at the point of disappointment or even on the cusp of it, you can share each of your complex emotions with the Lord. It's an amazing and liberating experience to be honest with God. The best aspect of this practice is the ridding of a "root of bitterness." In its place, something beautiful can grow instead.