Miss Havisham and Pip, in an illustration for the Household Edition of Dickens's Great Expectations. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock” (Psalm 27:5).
John and Mary had only lived in their dream home for 6 months before it was set ablaze by an electrical fire. “What am I going to do now?” John asked, looking up to the heavens. With tears running down his cheeks, he exclaimed “I have spent every penny I had on this house, and now everything is going up in smoke.” “Life is so f—ing unfair!”
I am sure you have heard the phrase, “Life is so unfair,” perhaps multiple times before.” People usually use this phrase when they are faced with unusual circumstances, such as disappointments. Dealing with disappointments can be difficult. Each of us deals with our disappointments differently.
What do you do with your disappointments?
You could do what Miss Havisham did in Charles Dickens‘s novel, Great Expectations? Abandoned by her intended just before her wedding, Miss Havisham froze in time. She closed all the blinds in the house, stopped every clock, left the wedding cake on the table to gather cobwebs, and wore her wedding dress until it hung in yellow decay around her shrunken body. Her wounded heart consumed her life.
We can follow the same course, or we can follow the example of the apostle Paul. Intended to be a missionary in Spain, the apostle ended up in a Roman Jail. Sitting in jail, Paul could have made the same choice as Miss Havisham, but he didn’t. Instead he said, “As long as I am here, I might as well write a few letters.” Hence your Bible has the epistles to Philemon, the Philippians, the Colossians, and the Ephesians.
Paul made the best of his difficult situation. He never gave up and he never felt sorry for himself. He knew that the happiest people don’t necessarily have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything.
I am not saying this because I am in need, but I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 For I can do all this through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:11-13)
Let's Talk Gospel 
…The happiest people don’t necessarily have the best of everything. They justmake the best of everything.
Love how you tied this up here! You know it really does come down to our perspective. How we view God and ourselves will shape every aspect of our lives! Great Word.
LikeLike
Thanks Michelle! You are exactly right when you said: “How we view God and ourselves will shape every aspect of our lives! Great Word.” Too bad most of us leave God out of the picture. We should take our cue from the apostle Paul.
Thanks again for stopping by. God bless you.
LikeLike
We are called to be active, I think. Paul certainly was a great example of this. Thanks for your post today!
LikeLike
You are exactly right Tom. The apostle Paul was and still is a great example for believers. His work and spirit live among us.
Thanks a lot for stopping by. God bless.
LikeLike
This goes hand-in-hand with “develop an attitude of gratitude”, thanks for sharing today.
Greg
LikeLike
Thanks a lot Greg for your continued support.
God bless you.
LikeLike
Great Post! I like when Paul says, “I Press on,” in Philippians 3:12 as well as, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Halleluiah!!!
God Bless You!
LikeLike
Thanks you very much Lady D, for your encouragement and support. When Christ is in the vessel He will smile at the storm.
God bless you .
LikeLike
I really enjoyed the post, Thanks.
LikeLike
Thanks KlarionKall! I am glad you found something good in my post. Please come again.
God bless you
LikeLike
You made some excellent points in this blog post. We can not always control our circumstanes even when we try to make good decisions, but we can control our reactions to life’s tragedies.
LikeLike
Thanks a lot for your comment MainWriters. You are exactly right. We cannot always control our circumstances but we can surely control our reactions to our disappointing or tragic circumstances. We should take a page out of the Apostle Paul’s book, and turn our disappointment into opportunities
God bless you.
LikeLike
I love this! My favorite line is “he happiest people don’t necessarily have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything.” Bless you!
LikeLike
Thank you very much Pastor and First Lady, for your comment. We serve a loving and compassionate God, who wants us to take our cares to Him. He promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us
God bless you both.
LikeLike
Very true. I’m learning that how I deal with disappointment is key in how people see me as a Christian and how I show my faith to God. Thank you for this reminder.
LikeLike
Thank you very much Afi. I really appreciate you stopping by and leaving a comment. I am glad you found something appealing in my post. To God be the glory.
Please come again. God bless you.
LikeLike
“the happiest people don’t necessarily have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything.”
Now there is a thought to ponder and put into practice! Thanks. 🙂
LikeLike
Thank you very much Elaine, for stopping by and leaving a comment. I am glad you found something good in my post. Please come again. God bless.
LikeLike