God’s Plan is Always Best - Disappointment is a part of life, but God promises to guide us through the valleys.

By Jane Haas

It was late August and Jenna Whitson sat in the first row of bleachers in the high school gym. It had been a grueling two weeks of tryouts for the varsity volleyball team and this was her last shot. She’d put in three solid years on the JV squad and spent the summer in volleyball camp, running each morning and drilling in the gym. She had lived and breathed volleyball for three months, and it all came down to this.

“Jenna Whitson, No. 17.”

Jenna heard her name and jumped up to get her jersey. It had all paid off.

Fast forward to mid-September. Jenna was out on the floor for the first time in a varsity game. Her parents were in the bleachers, and the gym was full. As the opposing team served, the ball came whizzing to Jenna in the back row. She ran with her arms extended to bump it to the setter. Then, her toe skidded on the wooden floor and as she tripped, she instinctively put her hands down to break her fall. Pain shot up her right arm. Later, the ER doctor confirmed what Jenna had suspected on the court. She had a fractured wrist and would be out for the rest of the season.

When life hands us a disappointment—whether it be a job loss, a shattered relationship, harsh words from a supervisor, or losing your place on the high school volleyball team—it’s natural to feel hurt, angry and betrayed. It’s natural to ask, “Why me?” And often, just like countless biblical characters before us, we turn our frustration upward and ask, “God, why did You let this happen? What could Your purpose possibly be? Don’t You want me to be happy?”

Grieving the loss of a dream is an important part of the process of healing physically, emotionally and spiritually. As you grieve, God keeps His promise to be with you, and to comfort, support and encourage you. Talk to God and tell Him your hurts and disappointments as though you are having a conversation with your best friend. Be in the Word. It may help to keep a journal of your thoughts and prayers in one column and record God’s answers beside them. If the hurt is too much, and you feel you have no words to pray, cry out to God using the words of the psalmist: “Hear my cry for mercy as I call to You for help, as I lift up my hands toward Your most holy place” (Psalm 28:2). Trust God’s promise when He says, “Call to Me and I will answer You” (Jeremiah 33:3).

Remember, God’s timing is not ours. Wait patiently and soak up the fellowship of other believers. As you grieve either huge or small disappointments, God offers comfort and assurance that His plan for you is always the best plan. But sometimes you can’t see that until later. In time, disappointment will seem less like a door that’s been slammed in your face and more like a passage God has left wide open leading toward a better path.

Jenna fought back disappointment and supported her team’s success from the sidelines by running practice drills, charting stats and helping motivate the squad. For some of us, the answers and actions to take might not be as simple and straightforward. Finding the motivation to move past setbacks and disappointments is made easier knowing God is with us offering patience and understanding. God waits with open arms to help us focus on the bigger goal—living in and for Him. He slowly heals the hurt and shows us that His plan is always best.

Jane Elling Haas is a former Lutheran day school teacher and a curriculum writer for Concordia Publishing House. She and her husband, Don, are Thrivent Financial for Lutherans members and live in suburban St. Louis.