Dealing With Disappointment

To quote Max Lucado, "When God doesn't do what we want it's not easy; it never has been and it never will be. Faith is the conviction that God knows more than us...and he'll get us through. Disappointment is caused by unmet expectations...and it's cured by revamped expectations. Don't panic...don't give up...be patient...God is in control."

So when you're disappointed: 

1.) Look inward. David asked, "Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad?" (Psalm 42:5) Admit how you feel. You can't deal with what you don't acknowledge. Ask God to show you the root of the problem. Is it pent up anger? Envy? Unforgiveness? Pride? Lust? Physical and mental fatigue? Be open to what He reveals.

2.) Look upward. David said, "I will hope in God! I will praise Him" (Psalm 42:5). Instead of focusing on your discouragement, focus on the One who knows the way out.

3.) Remember God's past faithfulness. David said, "I am...discouraged, but I will remember you." Through every trial we can cling to the assurance that we "can do all things through Christ who gives us strength" (Philippians 4:13). Recalling God's faithfulness builds your confidence that He'll continue to provide.

4.) Remember, you don't have to have all the answers. Just because you can't figure out what God's doing right now, doesn't mean it won't make sense later. He "causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him." (Romans 8:28).

5.) Don't give in to the bitterness. When your hopes are crushed, resentment can set in. "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31). Regardless of how deep the pit may seem, God is on your side!

We've all experienced disappointment in our lives and inevitably will experience disappointments in the future.  But in those disappointments are lessons to be learned, wisdom to be unlocked, and believe-it-or-not...opportunities in disguise. Disappointments can help us to grow if we allow God to reveal His purpose and if we trust that He will reveal His plan to us in perfect time. It's important that we don't let ourselves get stuck in our disappointment by allowing bitterness and resentment to replace our hope and trust in Christ. How we respond to disappointments greatly determines the ultimate outcome.

Life Is Like Cake

Sometimes we wonder, ‘What did I do to deserve this?' or 'Why did God have to do this to me?' Here is a wonderful explanation my Mom shared with me! A daughter is telling her Mother how everything is going wrong, she didn't make the soccer team, her boyfriend broke up with her and her best friend is moving away.

Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter if she would like a snack, and the daughter says, 'Absolutely Mom, I love your cake.' 'Here, have some cooking oil,' her Mother offers. 'Yuck' says her daughter. 'How about a couple raw eggs?' 'Gross, Mom!' 'Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?' 'Mom, those are all terrible!' To which the mother replies: 'Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake! ' God works the same way. Many times we wonder why He would let us go through such bad and difficult times. But God knows that when these things are all put in His order, they always work for good! We just have to trust Him and eventually, they will all make something wonderful! God is crazy about us....about YOU! He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning.  Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen. He freely gives love so that you can experience it to the fullest and never be without. He can live anywhere in the universe and He chose your heart.

Try to remember this when life doesn't seem to go the way you think it should. I’m sure most of us can look back at a time that was really tough and in the midst of it we didn’t understand why it was happening but then later in our lives we realize those tough experiences served a positive purpose somehow in the end. We have to wait for the cake to bake before we can experience its goodness. Just as we have to wait on the Lord to experience His goodness.

Lakeside Wine with Friends

Recently a group of our Expat friends got together to enjoy some wine and food by the lake. We found a nice spot right by the shore and while the guys were making BBQ, the three of us ladies were enjoying our glasses of wine and the views. :) It was so relaxing and fun to hang out with our friends in such a beautiful setting. Something I am certain we will miss when the day comes for us to return to the U.S. Here are a few shots from our evening.

Wiebke, Julia and I with our wine and the view

Julia & Morgan with Lake Geneva and the Alps as a backdrop. :)

Jared and I in front of Lake Geneva. Lausanne, Switzerland

Wish you were here! But thankful we can virtually share these moments with our family and friends back home!

Revelation To Reconsider

I don't like to make consequential decisions based on emotions. Because emotions can be deceiving, they change, they are not constant. And I think because of the fact that faith requires more than basic human reason, people view that as purely emotional and therefor irrational or weak-thinking. But when it comes to believing in Jesus Christ it's not something I feel. It's not a feeling like we feel happiness or sadness or any other kind of emotion...it's hard to define...but it's more like intrinsic understanding rather than emotional response. I don't FEEL that God exists...I understand that He exists. And because of this spiritual understanding of His existence and His teachings I put my trust in Him. Not because it feels good, but because His truth is clear and constant.

Words without understanding are empty and leave us lost just as God without understanding will leave us lost - quite literally. To have faith is not to just feel Him - we must know Him. Once we know Him it is impossible not to feel love, admiration and devotion towards Him. I think this is where many are confused and see faith as purely emotional. First comes understanding and knowledge of Him then comes emotions of love, gratitude, and reverence. I hope this brought about some clarity. This was meant to reach those who may have had a false perception of Christ, who may have been led away from Him based on misconceptions or preconceived notions. May this be an opportunity for you to reconsider and revise.

My desire is to humbly share the good news of Christ with others. I am not special or claiming superior intelligence because I have come to know and love Jesus as my Savior. In my pursuit for truth I found Him and now I want to share Him with the world so that others can experience His sustaining gifts of love and life.

I keep asking that God may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better.  I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in His holy people, and His incomparably great power for us who believe. --Ephesians 1:17-19




Song that inspired today's blog post: 'Under Fire' by Abandon
Lyrics below:


They try to trip us up
They try to make us doubt
Make us question what this life’s about
Our minds are criminal
They try to steal the soul
This moments pivotal who we choose to follow

We are under fire but we know, we know
The truth in our hearts
We are under fire but we hold, we hold
The proof of who you are
And though we haven’t seen your face
We know that we walk by faith
We are under fire
But it only burns, burns all doubt away

They tell us we’re all fools
That our minds are weak
How can we put our hope in someone we can’t see
They come with ridicule
To say that you’re a fake
But we are not alone, you endured the same

We are under fire but we know, we know
The truth in our hearts
We are under fire but we hold, we hold
The proof of who you are
And though we haven’t seen your face
We know that we walk by faith
We are under fire
But it only burns, burns all doubt away

We’re chasing what’s real
We’re chasing what’s true
We know it's God
We know it's You
We’re chasing what’s real
We’re chasing what’s true
We know it's God
It’s got to be You

We are under fire but we know, we know
The truth in our hearts
We are under fire but we hold, we hold
The proof of who you are
And though we haven’t seen your face
We know that we walk by faith
We are under fire
But it only burns, burns all doubt away
All doubt away
It burns all doubt away
All doubt away
It burns all doubt away

The Little Things

It's the little things in life that make every day a treasure. For me this week the "little things" were having dinner and wine on the balcony with my husband, talking on the phone with my family, going shopping and enjoying some sushi with a girl friend, learning hilarious Aussie slang like "budgie smugglers" (aka: speedos) from our new Australian friend, and having a "Belle moment" where I was enjoying a good book, in a french-speaking town, with sheep really close by.

Disney version....

Swiss version....

I also enjoyed this beautiful sunset....

....followed by this gorgeous moonlit night 

And I was again reminded that God is the ULTIMATE artist. He has created so much beauty in the world.

There is magic and wonder in the every day moments of life. In nature...in relationships...in Him. We just have to notice it and take it in. I hope you take the time to enjoy the "little things" this week.