Life is full of disappointment. Everyone has experienced the sting of disappointment on every level. One thing we all have in common as human beings is hurt. We have all been and will continue to feel the hurt of this life. We live in a fallen world with imperfection all around us that we have to deal with. We are imperfect and make many mistakes, some big, some small but the fallout of those mistakes and miscues is often damaging someone.
You can look back on your life and see the many destructive things people have done to you. People that you’ve known and loved, people that you’ve trusted. They can turn on you in seconds and go from friend to absolute enemies. You’re standing there wondering what just happened. We are all alike in that way.
You might have had a co-worker or neighbor who turned on you or a family member who treats you badly and you don’t know why. What do you do when you have this kind of thing happen? How do you walk in the power of healing and emotional health instead of letting the power of disappointment and unforgiveness turn you into a bitter and untrusting person.
First of all, let me say that this is not easy to do, there are no easy answers, it’s possible but not easy. You have to put your trust in the heart healer giving Him access to your inner most being. One of the things Jesus was commissioned to do was to “Heal the broken hearted” (Luke 4:18). He is the key to this process. Pray that He will start to work in your heart and mind.
Secondly, It is a process. Let some time pass. You don’t get healed of disappointment over night. That’s what everyone wants but it simply doesn’t work that way. Everyone wants a drive thru healing because we are a drive thru culture with a drive thru mentality. We feel like it should be instantaneous and it simply isn’t. Healing is a process and a way of life. It is a road you get on and stay on the whole time you live on this planet.
Keep a good attitude. The way you think governs everything about you. You can be in horrendous circumstances that are very destructive. Simply spoken, BE POSSITIVE! Nothing good has ever come from negative thinking. Think about what you’re thinking about. Make your thoughts obey you. You can and should control the way you think. Don’t dwell on the negative. The Bible calls that “taking thoughts captive”. You capture those thoughts and put them in a cage.
Speak to yourself in positive ways. Positive self talk can be the difference between victory and defeat. The most powerful people I know are the ones who stop listening to themselves and start speaking to themselves. Ephesians 4:19 says to speak to yourself in psalms, hymns and spiritual song, singing and making melody in your heart. There is power in the way you talk to yourself.
Only talk about your hurt to someone who can help you. Don’t keep rehashing the disappointment in your life with everyone you come in contact with. That’s like planting seeds in a garden, going out and digging them up and still expecting them to grow. Talk to a trusted friend, a counselor, Pastor or therapist to plant the seed of healing. Speaking and thinking the disappointment over and over again does virtually no good. I’m not saying you shouldn’t talk about it, I’m saying talk about it with the right people and not the wrong ones.
That brings me to this. Hang out with the right people. People who can and will encourage you. You are the sum of the people you hang out with. If you are with negative people you will tend to be negative and healing doesn’t come to negative people. They just walk around in hurt and disappointment their whole lives. If you want to live a positive, productive life, fellowship with positive and productive people and do positive and productive things.
Lastly I will say this. The most important thing about you is what you believe about God. Keep your prayer life active every day. Read your Bible. Stay close to the heart healer. Make a Doctors appointment with Jesus every day because you need Him every day. Create environments where He can work His healing power. Listen for Him to speak to you. He will give you prescriptions to take. Do what he says deep in your heart. When it comes down to it, He is the only one who can make healing happen.
photo provided by: jeremy-perkins-253184
