The Discouragement of Disappointment

Have you ever looked forward to something or expected something to happen and it didn’t work out? Life can get in the way sometimes, and the weight of disappointment can lead to discouragement. At the beginning of this year, I had gotten an old concept for a story I wanted to write reviewed by someone who knew what they were doing. I knew that the story needed some work, but I hadn’t expected to be told that my protagonist was shallow and that she didn’t have good motivation. I had really hoped that the review would go well, and I’d walk away feeling more confident. But instead, I just felt the weight of the disappointment. 

It is easy to get discouraged when disappointment strikes. I know that I was tempted to let my discouragement get in the way of my writing. But my mom, wise as always, pointed out that I was looking at it from a negative perspective. She told me I could either let the critique get in my way of writing better, or I could use it to motivate me to keep getting growing in my writing journey. 

In another situation, I felt like I had tried my hardest to help someone, but in the end, it had been rejected. I was disappointed, discouraged, and I wanted to quit. My mom told me something very similar to that above, but it was slightly different this time. She asked me this: “Even if what you originally planned didn’t work out, and it didn’t help anyone, did you benefit from trying?” I realized again that I had been thinking on the negative side. 

Even trying to write these articles and keep this website running can be discouraging at times, and I’ll admit that I’ve had some disappointments along the way. But I wouldn’t change any of it, wins or loses. I’ve learned so much through writing these articles and talking to you all, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. 

That said, this applies to sharing the gospel too, but I’m sure you already guessed that’s where I was headed with this. I have been turned down and yelled at for sharing the gospel before, and I’m not going to pretend otherwise. Sharing the gospel can be hard, and the disappointment you can feel when someone rejects your efforts can be discouraging to say the least. 

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

God didn’t say that sharing the gospel and conquering troubles would be easy, but He did say that He can turn everything for good if we love and follow him. Instead of using the disappointment and discouragement we feel when our gospel-sharing plans go awry, think of it as a victory. We can now walk away from that encounter with more knowledge than we did before, and we can use it to continue to become braver when we speak to others. God can still use our words to touch that person, but God can also use that interaction to further grow us. Don’t let your disappointment defeat you; let it strengthen you. Nothing is a failure with our God. 

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