Disappointment happens when something or someone doesn’t meet our expectations. We live in a world filled the opportunity for disappointment. Sometimes it is easy to move on from being let down, but other times it’s not. We carry a sense of grief. We get crabby. We even take it out on others.

I was reminded of this last week. My husband and his father have been diligently working on re-siding our house. I have really pushed to have a small amount of stacked stone included in the project, so much so, that I even said I would be the one to put it up. I consider myself rather handy, not afraid to tackle a simple project as this. I watched the YouTube videos, drafted a plan, and negotiated with hubby. We ordered the stone.

I haven’t been very involved in this project other than extra cooking. I work during the summer while my husband’s job goes on hiatus. I wanted to put my mark on this project. I wanted to have a hand in the finished project. I have managed to hammer in a few pieces of siding and fascia, but the stone work was going to be my mark. My husband was going to cut any pieces necessary while I played with mortar and leveled the stone as I worked my way up the side of the garage.

The day was set. I was ready to work.  Two thirds of the way up this simple column, I encountered a problem. The mortar stopped sticking to the stone and the wall. I called for reinforcement. Hubby and Grandpa came to the rescue. We couldn’t figure out why this was happening. We were going to have to abort the project for the day and come up with a new plan. I was so disappointed that part of me wanted to throw a little temper tantrum. My disappointment wasn’t because this part of the project became difficult. This entire project has been difficult. It was because of my work schedule and needing to get the house completed that I knew I wasn’t going to be the one to finish the job. I wasn’t going to get to leave my mark.

Disappointment happens when something we have been longing for doesn’t happen. It is something we all experience in little and big ways. I remind myself that disappointment means God has something else in mind, something I often can’t see. We are called to praise God in the midst of that disappointment, trust His plan, and look with expectancy for His generosity.