2 Verses To Cling To When You’re Disappointed

When I was applying to college, there was one particular school that I would’ve done anything to go to.

I studied hard to get the SAT score I needed. I wrote the best essay I possibly could to impress the admissions officer. Then, I prayed relentlessly that I would get in…and I did.

The day I received my acceptance envelope, I couldn’t contain my excitement. I thought that I was watching God’s perfect plan play out right before my eyes, and I was in awe. That was, until the perfect plan I had imagined came to a grinding halt, and I wasn’t able to go to the school I had dreamed about for so long.

I remember crying out to God for Him to make a way. I thought to myself “this is just a part of His plan. He’s going to come through and redeem this, and it will make it an even better story.”

But that’s not what happened.

I ended up going to a completely different college, and to my surprise, I don’t regret it one bit. That wasn’t always true, but here I sit, a few years after graduating, and I can honestly say that I am so grateful God didn’t allow me to go to the school I so desperately wanted to go to when I was 17.

Why do I share this? Because we’ve all been there. Maybe you’re like me and your plan for college didn’t go the way you imagined it would; or maybe your marriage, that dream job, or that perfect home didn’t work out. We all are walking through this life filled with crushed dreams and plans we were once so sure would go our way.

The reality is, it absolutely sucks when our plans fall apart right in front of our eyes. There’s no sugar-coating it.

However, there’s two verses that can meet us in the midst of our disappointment and shed a bit of hope on our crushed dreams…

• Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

This verse is a promise. A promise from God to us that even amid our disappointments and unmet expectations, He is doing something incredibly good. The best part? God’s version of good is worlds better than our own. So, even though we can’t always see it or feel it when doors we’ve dreamt of opening end up slamming in our face, God is up to something incredible.

• John 13:7 “Jesus replied, ‘You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’”

I have clung to John 13:7 time and time again throughout my life. In it, Jesus candidly lets us know that we will not always understand His ways. The first part of this verse oddly brings me a bit of comfort knowing that Jesus openly acknowledged and warned us that what He is doing in our lives won’t always make sense to us. Fortunately though, Jesus didn’t stop there. He finishes with a promise that later on, we will understand. The hard part that I’ve had to reconcile with is that I don’t know when “later” is. I wish God would give me the date and time down to the very second when everything will make sense, but that’s not the way it works. However, in the waiting, whether it be for a moment or a lifetime, we can partner this verse with Romans 8:28 and remember that God is working everything out for our good and His glory.

I’m not going to lie…It’s not always easy to turn to these verses. Sometimes, I just want to pout and mourn the way I wanted things to go. God has taught me it’s okay to do that, and actually, He encourages me to bring my honest, raw disappointment to Him. The same goes for you…bring your pain, confusion, and heartache to God.

Then, after you confess how you’re feeling to our Savior who cares so much, pick up these verses and speak them over yourself. Ask God to help you to understand and find comfort in them. With God, we don’t have to deny that we’re disappointed. He knows.

By God’s grace, I eventually realized what an incredible blessing it was that He closed the door to what I once considered my dream university; and He worked out a plan filled with opportunities, people, and lessons that I never would’ve encountered had I done things my way.

My prayer is that no matter what disappointment you’re walking through, God will bring this same understanding to you in His timing, and that while you wait, His peace will guide you through all the wondering and pain that broken dreams bring.