We're Watchin.... and We're Waitin

So true

Well friends, plans change, for better or worse. Now you get to spend even MORE time with me this weekend haha. Sometimes things just don't go the way we want them to, you know? We do everything in our power to make them happen and to make everyone happy, but it doesn't always work out. For better or worse, stuff happens, and people let us down. In these cases we have 2 choices: 1. We can let it ruin our day or 2. We can learn to let it go and enjoy what we do have. 

Today's Topic is...

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Disapointment

Wow, even the title on this one is depressing! haha. Well lighten up! It's not the end of the world.... at least not yet anyways! That's a really dumb expression if you think about it, for many reasons. It's never the end of the world until it is, so why worry about it? And is the end of the world such a bad thing? Every end is simply a new beginning after all. But I digress...

We all experience disappointments from time to time. For me it was today. I was supposed to hang out with a friend that I haven't seen in months today, but they cancelled last minute, and now it'll be almost a year until I'll get another chance to hang out with them. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't upset, but there's more to life than this one friend. 

I've received much advice on this topic in my short lifetime, and much of it has come from people my age. Some of it follows. We can't rely on others for our own happiness. We have to be happy on our own, because like it or not, people let us down. It might not be big things, but people do. God doesn't. He might let us go down paths that we don't understand, and we might not see what He's doing, but He'll never let us down. We can rely on Him for our happiness. And ourselves. No one else can make you happy or sad but you. YOU chose to be happy, YOU chose to be sad. It's up to you, not anyone else.

When we are upset or disappointed, a way to focus on other things is to count our blessings. Yeah, so I don't get a night out, but I've got lots of time to work on other things. I have more time to write now. I have more time to work on my music now. I've got a great family and a great life and great friends (yeah, even the one who let me down). Now I've got time to get ready for work tomorrow. I can get more sleep. Tomorrow I've got a day at Church and with friends and family! I'm blessed with a semi-normal.... scratch that a very weird family (love them haha) that supports me and that cares enough to give me the best education I can get - spiritual and mental. I could go on and on but this isn't (or shouldn't be XD) about me.

I chose the picture today because many of our disappointments come from anticipation. We anticipate something fun and when it doesn't happen we get upset. We anticipate a good grade on a test and when we don't get it, there are consequences. We anticipate people to act one way, and when we don't, we're disappointed. Like the picture, anticipation flouted makes disappointment so much worse. Why? It goes back to, you guessed it...

Hope.

We build up HOPE that something will happen. And what did we say about loss of hope? It is the best and easiest way to crush a person. Putting our hope in the right place can save us from many troubles. Anticipation isn't a bad thing, in fact many times it is the fun. Think of anticipating Christmas as a kid. The anticipation of all those presents just for you under the tree up until Christmas was always the best part. The day itself would come and go in a flash, and the toys would be fun for a few days, but fade into obscurity. But each year the ANTICIPATION of the glorious childhood day was enough to dance through endless dreams and create days of explosive joy as only the mere idea of Christmas can create in the hearts of children. Anticipation happens on journeys. When you travel you anticipate getting to your destination. When you climb a mountain you anticipate getting to the top. When you have a kid you anticipate the night you'll finally be able to get a full, uninterrupted night's rest again. Anticipation is the journey. Often when we travel we meet interesting people and see amazing things, and the destination becomes minimal next to that. A mountain climb might take days, and once you get to the top you have an amazing view, but the exhilaration of getting on top lasts only for a short while, and before you know it you have to climb back down. Still, all that work you did to get there and the journey you took is forever in your memory. While babies are tons of work and can be annoying, as kids grow up you miss the days they'd come to you and say they can't sleep because they had a nightmare. 

In all of those cases anticipation is the journey, and the journey is all the fun. Which is why I say still anticipate things, but be ready to deal with disappointment.

A little bit more on this before I conclude. Disappointment leaves no man untouched. Everyone suffers it at one time or another. But again it is up to us to chose how we deal with it. Me? haha Well I didn't take it the best at first but I'm learning, and tonight I'm going to have fun anyways. I got to spend more time with ya'll for one thing! You? Well that's up to you. 

Don't let disappointment cripple you. Get up and move on. It's not the end of the world... unless it is! haha if that's the case then God be with you! Get it?... you know... cause God.... end of the world.... fire and.... oh never mind! See, take things with a grain of salt! Handle disappointments with humor and move on! Whatever it is it's probably not a big deal anyway.

God has plans for us. Jeremiah 29:11 says: "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." 

God's plans are not our own, and many times we don't understand the challenges He puts into our lives, or why they are there. Sometimes we won't until we see Him in person to ask Him. But He will never lead us astray. Mother Angelica was talking about this the other day on the radio. She said, and I'm paraphrasing here "You know that picnic you really wanted to go to, but it got rained out? You were really disappointed about that. You might even let it ruin your day. But later you look on the news and there was a massive 35 car accident on the route you would've taken, right at the time you would've been driving. God protected you from that. Well, then it turned out to be a pretty good day." VERY much paraphrased, but you get the gist. God takes pains and turns them into blessings. I don't know why He let my friend let me down, but I know that it's for the best. I don't know why He's letting you go through the pain you feel, and maybe even try to hide, right now, but I can promise you that it's for a reason. A good one too. So hang in there, hang on, and let go. Do not hold on to disappointments or give in to the all too tempting sadness and despair they bring with them, but let them go and let God in. Disappointments only have the power to hurt you if you let them. So don't!
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Why the title?
Well, you should know by now I try to include a song! Today's comes from Phineas and Ferb "Watchin' and Waitin' ". I felt it was appropriate for today.

 We're watchin' and we're waitin',
On the edge of our seats, anticipatin'.
It's looking awful permanent,
But we know it could go away.

 Fits doesn't it? Enjoy the anticipation and don't let disappointments down, that's tonight's message!

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

God uses all things for good :)

Stay strong, keep you head held high, and I'll see you soon!
Oh and I'm praying for you, can't forget that!

~Wanted~