DISAPPOINTMENT

 BY WALLACE CALEB BATES

Disappointment.

 

We have all experienced it, and we have all felt like one from time to time — disappointing to our family, our friends, and those we hold most dear. 

 

Even when you feel like you do not stack up, I encourage you not to lose hope. Our faith teaches us that disappointment is a normal occurrence, and during our times of disappointment, we have the opportunity to look up, shake it off, and keep growing stronger than before. 

 

In Jeremiah 29:11, God promises to give us hope and a future. He promises that He does not intend to harm us. 

 

Romans 8:28 provides us with insight in a similar fashion: "We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose."

 

I know that my perspective is tainted with positivity. The storms that struck eastern Kentucky today reminded me of how hard it is to trust in God during the storms — emotional and physical — we face.

 

The wind howled through the hollers today, bending trees and reminding me just how small we really are. Storms like these, both the kind that shakes the earth and the kind that shakes the soul, test us in ways we never expected. 

 

It is easy to talk about trusting God when the skies are clear, but when the clouds roll in, when the thunder echoes in our chests, and when the waters rise, trust becomes an act of defiance.

 

Still, I believe that even in the storm, even in disappointment, God is present. Not as a far-off figure watching from above but as the one holding us in the chaos, whispering that we are loved — even when we fail, even when we fall short.

 

I have come to see that faith is not about having all the answers. It is about wrestling with the questions and trusting that grace fills the gaps.

 

Sometimes, we disappoint others, and sometimes, we disappoint ourselves. But God is not disappointed in us — not in the way we often assume.

 

The divine love we see in Christ is not conditional. It does not hinge on our perfection or our performance. It is steady, constant, and unwavering.

 

And so, even when I feel like I do not measure up, even when the weight of expectations presses heavy on my chest, I remind myself that I am already loved. I am already enough. We all are.

 

Maybe disappointment is not the end of the story but the beginning of a deeper, more honest faith — one that embraces the struggle, one that trusts in love above all else.

 

Tomorrow, the sun will rise again. And so will we.

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