When my son, Connor, was little, he had a new balloon which he insisted on taking outside.

“Connor,” I told him, “if we take the balloon out in the backyard it will probably pop.”

But he would not relent, so out we went.

He swept the brightly colored balloon up into the air, and it slowly glided downward. He caught it and repeated the motion several times.

Up, down. Up, down.

Eventually, the balloon lifted and dropped earthward for its final descent. But, this time, Connor didn’t catch it.

Pop!

Bits of wrinkly rubber dotted the grass. With stunning composure, Connor gathered the tattered pieces in his chubby hands and ran toward me.

“Mommy,” he said, “fix it!” But, the reality was that I couldn’t fix his balloon.

Sometimes, like Connor’s balloon, you and I face hard realities we can’t fix. We are stuck with disappointment. A relationship ends. A dream dies. Our health fails. The job changes. The money runs out.

But, sister, no matter what loss you’ve experienced, disappointment is not the boss of you. It does not have to color your days, dictate your moods, or determine your future. Because God is with you, you can get through disappointment with hope.

On this episode of the 4:13 Podcast, KC and I talk about how you can take your disappointment and turn it into a stepping stone to hope. You will find inspiration from a woman who lived with disappointment for over 80 years.

But, we don’t stop there! You will also discover how you can become your own counselor and do some hope coaching with these three hope-filled confessions.

3 Confessions to Hang Your Hope On

1. Tell yourself, “It is what it is!” In other words, accept it. A mature person doesn’t waste emotional and mental energy focusing on what should have happened. When you dig your heels in with the “should” and “ought to,” you create a pit that only deepens and confirms your disappointment. But, when you accept a fact, you create a path to move forward on. You are willing to live in the “what is” that God has allowed for now rather than pining away with the “what ifs.”
2. Tell yourself, “You won’t always feel this way.” When life hands you a big disappointment, the sadness, fear, grief, or whatever the emotion is feels so intense. But, this feeling of disappointment is a snapshot. It’s not the whole photo album of your life. When you recognize that you won’t always feel the depth of emotion you feel at first, you gain perspective. Hope will heal you. You may have a scar, but you won’t have the same intense pain.
3. Tell yourself, “Something new or better is around the corner.” The hardest thing is your situation may never actually change. It is difficult to imagine that anything good can come from what feels so bad. But, the truth is that when you trust God, you don’t go backward. You only move forward with Him. And, as you do, you become better equipped, more empathetic, and more expectant for what God will do next. Life may not look like you expect or want, but sometimes the thing that disappoints you the most is the thing God uses to position you for a deeper relationship with Him.

It is through Christ’s power that you can face life’s disappointments and come out on top. His power in you can make you strong and help you access hope.

No matter what, sister, you can get through disappointment with hope through Christ who strengthens you!

“Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given to us” (Romans 5:5).

Related Resources

Free Download

• Hope Holders: 3 Confessions to Hang Your Hope On When You’re Disappointed

Books by Jennifer Rothschild

• Me, Myself, and Lies: What to Say When You Talk to Yourself
• Lessons I Learned in the Dark: Steps to Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Blog Posts

• 3 Things to Tell Yourself When You’re Disappointed
• Disappointment Is Not the Boss of You

Links Mentioned in This Episode

• Hope Heals: A True Story of Overwhelming Loss and Overcoming Love by Katherine and Jay Wolf

Jennifer’s “Stuff I Love”

• TACH luggage

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Today, what is one way you will hold onto hope in the midst of a disappointment you face?