As a kid, I did whatever I could to avoid eating Brussels sprouts. This was tough because my mom had a no-exception policy that each child had to eat each item on our dinner plates – at least one bite.
So, in order to avoid the inevitable for as long as I could, I ate the chicken first. I then slowly ate the rice – one grain at a time! But, eventually, there they sat – lonely and looming on my plate.
When your heart gets slammed with sorrow, it can feel so overwhelming, can’t it? Loss, grief, disappointment — all of that can feel so much bigger than us.
Anyone out there ever feel like you just can’t meet everyone’s expectations? Anyone? Oh girl, I do.
We can get pretty stressed out when we feel like we fail to meet other’s expectations for us…
We can’t volunteer for that fund raiser. We don’t call or write that loved one as often as we should. We can’t keep the house clean enough, or the fridge full enough, or the calender empty enough! The list goes on and on.
Expectations come in many forms, but one thing they have in common is how we feel when we don’t meet them… downright lousy!
My friend, Margaret Feinberg, has been in a gruesome fight with breast cancer. Though she has been thrown on one of the toughest battlefields of life, her response has been startling and challenging to me.
You may be on a battlefield of your own, and you may be at your wit’s end, a weary warrior — trampled and discouraged. So, I asked Margaret to share a piece of her story with you to encourage and inspire you to keep on trusting. If you want to go deeper, check out her new book and Bible study, Fight Back With Joy, filmed with LifeWay. I have no doubt my wise and inspiring friend will give you the Biblical truth and companionship you need to fight any battle you face with tenacity and joy!
My Assistant Angela came into my office crying. I immediately stood from my desk and hugged her, “whatever it is, it will be okay. Whatever it is, you will be okay.” I expected some terrible personal crisis had arisen; I was ready to be the consoling counselor. “I need to resign; I’m going back to school.”
Suddenly, I was the one with a personal crisis! I needed her to hug me and tell me, “whatever it is, it will be okay.” Happy for her but unhappy for me, I now had to deal with my own disappointment.
So, how do you become your own consoling counselor when life hands you a big disappointment?
