HOW DO YOU HANDLE DISAPPOINTMENT IN YOURSELF?

Urrgggh!

Have you ever had days where you didn't do so well...and that's a very generous way of putting it?  I hit that territory yesterday and hit it hard.  I communicated strong ideas that were very difficult for me to approach.  Later, I found that my communication was not the best.  Therefore, I unnecessarily grieved a friend who surely didn't need my added stress.  But...I did it.

To risk something that I simply did not want to risk and then to discover I shouldn't have done it that way has incredibly deep ramifications of troubling discouragement if I don't attend to the Spirit and His directives.

Once again, I share disappointment in myself as a picture not only of what not to do; but possibly lessons learned as to how to keep from caving to the temptation of becoming very depressed.

Let's say it out in the open.  We all flub....sometimes very badly.  Denial isn't an option.  Gaining from it is.

So what shall we do with our talk and walk that occasionally turns into embarrassment or injury or whatever else could be negative?

We can turn personal failure into a ministry perk.  It is that pestering reminder that we not only don't run the show but that we are full of inadequacy in trying to even show up for the show.  While God has declared that our adequacy is only of the Spirit, we mistakenly slip into a belief that we can do a certain amount on our own.

Thus, the opening is created for necessary failure.

There is strong temptation to quietly believe we are better thinkers and better doers than our close colleagues.  Not the case.  Yes, each has gifts for these surely could not arise from our skill-set.  But ego likes to convince self that we are a step above. Clueless is attributed to others while ego-enamorization (unrecognized) is for mwah.

Failure is prominent in every believer.  We are weak in understanding, in direction, in commitment, and in vision.  Individually, we don't have what it takes.  I speak not of some of us, or a few of us, but all of us; even those we would regard as living from the apex of idealistic.

Failure is important for each disciple.  Until we admit we  are sinking (and strange, isn't it, how long we can live with our gurgling sound and not realize anything is wrong)  we will never reach for the rescuing arms of Jesus.  Yet, if we continued to walk atop of troubles, we would begin to wonder why we need him.  As we sink in frustration and embarrassment, the kingdom strategy begins to be perfectly realigned.

Disappointment?  I tend to cry in mine.  But I must not dwell within.  We must not cave to the warm blanket of being miserable.  Have you ever noticed that sometimes depression just feels better?  It takes intentional and determined energy to break the inner contentment of feeling sorry for self.

We must raise our eyes.  We must.  Then we shall see that failure is the valuable reminder that Jesus is our righteousness; our brains and our brawn are not; not even close.  When we need the arm of Jesus to be our strength, we are strong even though we are weak.

How do you handle disappointment in yourself?  Well...one way is to turn it into a good lesson to encourage another who struggles with the perpetual reminders that we never have been enough.  I hope I just did it.

Jesus alone is our strength.  We need him.