Dealing with Disappointment

<p>After raising money all year for a &ldquo;trip of a lifetime,&rdquo; seniors from an Oklahoma high school arrived at the airport to learn that many of them had purchased tickets from a bogus company posing as an airline. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s heartbreaking,&rdquo; one school administrator said. Yet, even though they had to change their plans, the students decided to &ldquo;make the most of it.&rdquo; They enjoyed two days at nearby attractions, which donated the tickets.</p> <p>Dealing with failed or changed plans can be disappointing or even heartbreaking. Especially when we&rsquo;ve invested time, money, or emotion into the planning. King David &ldquo;had it in [his] heart to build&rdquo; a temple for God (1 Chronicles 28:2), but God told him: &ldquo;You are not to build a house for my Name . . . . Solomon your son is the one who will build&nbsp;my house&rdquo; (vv. 3, 6). David didn&rsquo;t despair. He praised God for choosing him to be king over Israel, and he gave the plans for the temple to Solomon to complete (vv. 11&ndash;13). As he did, he encouraged him: &ldquo;Be strong and courageous, and do the work . . . for the&nbsp;<span style="font-variant-caps: small-caps">Lord</span> God . . . is with you&rdquo; (v. 20).</p> <p>When our plans fall through, no matter the reason, we can bring our disappointment to God who &ldquo;cares for [us]&rdquo; (1 Peter 5:7). He will help us handle our disappointment with grace.</p>