I grew up watching the TV comedy series, "Hee Haw." I've often quoted a chorus I remember well, "gloom, despair, and agony on me; deep dark depression, excessive misery. If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all, gloom, despair, and agony on me." It was a catchy tune sung by four depressed hillbillies who were down on their luck... an obvious exaggeration of their disappointments!
I wish I could turn all my disappointments into comedy sketches and just laugh them off but that that is unrealistic. So, I offer these thoughts for dealing with disappointment:
Share your disappointment with someone you trust. I like to think there is truth in the idiom, "a joy shared is twice the joy, and a sorrow shared is half the sorrow." Disappointment often feels like sorrow and a trusted friend can make a huge difference in the weight of that burden. Trust is the key to using this tool as disappointments are carried in your heart. A trusted friend knows this and received your disappointment with gentle kindness.
Study your disappointment for something to learn from and grow by. I remember being so disappointed with myself when, in my undergraduate studies as a pre-dentistry major, I hated my zoology and chemistry courses. The disappointment was so deep that I dropped out of college mid-semester. Looking back, I have often laughed at my impatience with working with my hands in small spaces - even crashing my fist down onto a model car that I couldn't get a part into. It would not be funny if that was someone's mouth that got the brunt of my frustration!
While the lesson took some time to learn, I was being led into a career far more suited to my skill-set. During this time my faith became the most important subject on my mind. My trusted person was a cousin who met with me after I had returned to college with an undeclared major. When he asked me what I was going to do now that I wasn't going to be a dentist, I said, "I don't know, I guess business or something." He said, "I see you much more as a people-person than a paper-person. I challenge you to go into ministry."
Disappointments will always find us... that is just life. In my experience disappointments have led to some amazing discoveries someone else has helped me find. There is great joy in being that someone else for the disappointed!
