Considerations

The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. 
(Proverbs 16:9 ESV)

Disappointment: Sadness or displeasure caused by the non-fulfillment of one’s hopes or expectations.

That’s the first definition that popped up when I googled the word disappointment. An emotion that I have been recently familiar with. Why? Because something has not gone the way I expected. The plans of my heart are not unfolding as I thought they would. Instead, another plan is being established and as time creeps on, I have come to realize that God is the One orchestrating the steps that are to be taken.

Our focal verse reminds us that we can plan to the hilt but in the end, God’s desires reign sovereign over ours. And because of that, we can expect moments of disappointment. Moments of sadness and maybe even anger because what we thought would happen, did not happen. I believe that sadness and anger are okay to experience when our expectations are not met. But when we realize that the detours and the stop signs in our plans are sometimes by way of the hand of God, we are to move on from the place of disappointment and embrace the new direction, the alternative paths and the revised plans God has instead. Why? Because we must keep in mind that God always has our best interests at heart.

Trusting in the Omniscient God

God is omniscient and sees all, knows all and has a supernatural wisdom that none can match. He sees what is coming down the road and perhaps the plans we have lined up are just not the right ones at this time for us, no matter how awesome and special they are. We don’t know what is on the other side, what is along the path and what awaits us at the end of the plans we have carefully crafted. But God does and this is where we have to trust Him when He says no, not now or not that way. When he disrupts our plans, we have to trust as Proverbs 3:5 says:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

Different Ways and Thoughts

Disappointment will probably be our first emotional response to the disruption but God can handle our disappointment in Him when He messes with our plans. Love protects and does what’s best for others even when such loving actions are unwanted. We do it every day with our children who get mad with us when we disturb their plans. We do it because we see what’s ahead and want to protect them. We take their disappointment lightly knowing that as parents, we intervene with love and their best interests at heart. All while being mindful that their young minds are not mature enough to understand why we do what we do; for their thoughts are not like our thoughts. The same can be said about us and our Heavenly Father. His thoughts, His ways are very different from ours and because of this, disappointment is bound to happen as we go about our lives (Isaiah 55:8-9).

Embracing His Plan

But the key is to not get stuck in that place of disappointment. When we see God shifting things and rearranging our steps to take us in a different direction, let’s instead acknowledge His Omniscient Self and embrace the plan He has for us:
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (Proverbs 3:6)

Besides, who wants a crooked path when you can walk on one that has been specifically tailored just for you.