Christian Living

---

Topic: Handling Disappointment Effectively.
Text: 1Samuel 30:1-20.

Amen! One of things that I and you are faced with each time is disappointment. If only we can be truthful, we will discover that, been disappointed as become a norm in the life of many Christians.
We are disappointed in people, in places we go to, in our parents; we are disappointed in what we get out of life. Even as a minister, am not left out.

• When ministry was not going as expected, the way I thought, I was disappointed.
• When I graduated with Third Class from the University, I was disappointed.
• When the Lady I loved left me, I was disappointed.
• When things do not happen as planned, I was disappointed.
• When I expected things too soon to happen in my ministry, I was disappointed.

Everybody is faced with disappointment, which is the truth. The only people that are not faced with disappointment in life are people who don’t have desires and expectations. The moment you have desires and expectations, you shouldn’t be disappointed when disappointment comes your way.

WHY DO WE EXPERIENCES DISPPOINTMENT?

Like I said everybody that has expectations and desires in life will experience disappointment in one way or the other. But when do we experience disappointment?

• When we expect something to happen soon or too soon.
• When input is not equal to output.
• When things does not work out as plan.
• When we believe too much in people.
• When we expect things to happen in our own ways.
• When we expect things to happen rightly whether we have done what is wrong or not.

Can you see that we are all subject to disappointment?

EFFECTS OF DISAPPOINTMENT

Often times, I have discovered that disappointment brings about;

• Lack of trust,
• It destroy relationship and
• It changes our perceptions to life, people and things we do.

I have seen ladies who have problems (disappointment) with men as regard marital issues and they see themselves has been jilted, promising themselves not to have anything doing with men. It even got to the point that they got angry when anybody mention or say anything that has to do with men.
But the truth is this: that Mr. ‘A’ disappoint you does not mean Mr. ‘B’ will disappoint you and that Mr. ‘A’ acted in a way does not mean Mr. ‘B’ or Mr. ‘C’ will do the same or acted in the same way. Common! Handle this effectively.

Disappointment is a normal thing, in fact there is nothing wrong with been disappointed, but the question is ‘How do you handle it before it degenerate?’

Have seen people who hated life due to disappointment, seen people who have a very bad notion to life and people due to disappointment, but these can be effectively handle.

The truth about disappointment is not in been disappointed but in the effective handle of it before it degenerate that matters.

So by the grace of God we will be considering human and Biblical principle in which disappointment can be handle effectively according to 1Samuel 30:1-20.

1. One of the ways humanly of handling disappointment is seeing everything as disappointment. This might sound funny or stupid but that is the truth. If you see everything as disappointment it will give you a prior knowledge of what will or might come. How do I see everything as disappointment?

ILLUSRATION

For instance, if you are expecting a friend of yours to pay you a visit (to help you), consider this as likelihood, that he might come or not. When you work by this likelihood it will help you. How? When your friend fails to come (or help in the area has expected) you won’t be disappointed or the effect of disappointment will not be heavy on you because you have a prior knowledge of what he is able to do, at least 85%.

In seeing everything as disappointment is working with likelihood, Yes or No (this does not change the fact that you are not a friend and remember this is human method).

We are all human and not God, human being has the tendencies to fail and disappointment, but failure and disappointment is not in God (Is somebody saying Amen), men may be slack with promises but not God.

Understanding that we are all human and that human being having the tendencies to fail without God, this will help you, Amen.


2. Considering the account of David in 1Samuel 30:1-20

- Verse 3: so David and his men came to the city… David and his men were just coming from a battle field only to get home as saw what has happen. David and his men never happen to what happen to Ziklag by the Ammonikites, David and his men was disappointed. Can you see David and his men have an expectation so they were disappointed?

- Verse 4 …then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept… David was disappointed; he thought the solution to this disappointment is crying, NO! I have seen Christians who wept when they are faced with disappointment in life. When things do not happen has expected and they cry out for help. But why do we cry? Can crying actually help out?

- Verse 4b …until they had no more power to weep. This is wonderful, until they had no more power to weep again. David thought he could solve the problem by weeping. The kind of David cry was such that he cried with all his might until he had no power to weep again.
Hear me! Weeping adds to the problem of disappointment and won’t help, if it could, it should have help out in David situation. Christians! Are you faced with problem of disappointment? Are you crying for help? Hear these:

- Verse 6: Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him… David was disappointed again because he thought weeping could help and finding out, if to be stone. It was degenerating to the extent that his people want to stone him. Christian, watch it!

- Verse 7: … please bring me ephod here to me. David consults the Word of God for solution after considering weeping and the result failed. Christians! The first step to handling disappointment effectively is considering what the Word has to say about the situation.
When everything failed for David, he considers what the scripture has to say. But did the Word of God actually proffer a solution?

- Verse 8: so David inquired of the Lord saying ‘shall I purse this troop? Shall I overtake them?’ Amen! The Word of God proffers the solution “purse, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.’

Brethren! Go for the Word, all that you need to make life is imbedded in the Word. Common go for the Word. In it (Him) you will find fulfillment and all that pertains to life and godliness.

- Verse 9: Then they found an Egyptian on the field… In order for David to fulfill the Word given from the Lord, He prepared an Egyptian for him on the road to help him out.
Wonderful! Even in you state of disappointment, God has prepared an Egyptian (someone, somebody) for you to bring you out of your problems in life.

- Verse 18: …so David recovered all that was taken away.

Brethren! I pray for you by the efficacy of this Word receive your liberty.


Learn more in Part Two.

---

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE