*note: this will be written in with my usual lack of capitalization because 1. i'm feeling lazy so using the shift key just sounds like far too much work. and 2. my beautiful friend kelly told me she liked it :)*

tonight i am struck with the idea of disappointment. in this broken world it is inevitable, whether you have a relationship with god or not. situations won't go as planned. things won't happen in your timing. you burn the toast. people will let you down. and somehow, we even manage to disappoint ourselves. disappointment is hard. it doesn't feel good. and for me at least, it makes me want to crawl into a shell of disappointment-free isolation. however, that shell is also devoid of taking the risks that make life worth living, so keeping myself vulnerable is really in my best interest.

image: paul thurbly's flickr photostream

many of us have faced disappointment after disappointment and getting back up again is hard and sometimes feels pointless. so what is the point? honestly, without god i'd think it would be impossible for me to pick up the pieces over and over again. god never promises that my life will be free of disappointment and hurt. but he does make some other promises and those are what keep me going. they are what keep me waking up every morning with a song of joy even when life is knocking me down.

"if god is with me who can be against me"

(romans 8:31)

"for i know the plans i have for you, declares the lord, to give you a future and a hope".

(jeremiah 29:11)

"i will never leave you nor forsake you"

(hebrews 13:5)

for now, my let-downs are fairly minor. but they still hurt. and sometimes they seem to hurt more because of old scars on my heart. the good news is that god cares enough to hold my heart in his hands, no matter how  tiny or huge my disappointment is. he'll hold yours too. it's the only way to go.