Disappointment And Heartache

Disappointment And Heartache

Eileen Renders                  November 2023

   I believe this is an emotion we all have felt many times over, regardless of age. I can recall one of my children at a very young age beginning to cry after opening up her first Christmas gift because it was not what she had asked Santa Claus for. And we adults have also often felt the pangs of disappointment and heartache. Whether it be that career move-up job we had applied for and not gotten, or the death of someone we loved very much, we felt the pain so much emotionally that it often penetrated our sense of well-being.

   As we most often do, we might turn that disappointment inward and ask why was I passed up for that job. We do not like to lose, and it can trigger a feeling of not being good enough. Losing a person through death is very painful, and a life event over which we realize we have no control. However, being human as we are and seeking answers to these disturbing events, once again we might turn inward and ask our Creator; “Why?” Why did this good person who was not even elderly have to die, why did you allow this to happen God?

   When we were young children and were baptized we were cleansed of original sin through Christ’s death on the cross for us. He was sent to earth by the Father to teach us and save us because we were created and loved by Him. Through the sacrament of Confirmation by the Bishop, we receive the Holy Spirit within us, which cements our faith and provides many more graces to strengthen our faith. In fact, through faith, and without understanding we accept the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost as three distinct persons all in one same person.

   How did we, especially as children ever come to understand such a mystery? We did not come to fully understand, but we did receive the necessary graces to accept as this is our faith and what we believe because we trust in God.

   With what we have just reviewed in the above two chapters, we must now utilize it by applying to our everyday lives. Trusting in the knowledge that God knows best, we work at strengthening our faith to fully accept what happens in life every day all around us. Knowledge tells us that we have no control over who is born, or when someone may exit this world, we have no other option but to accept.

   There is something that we do have control over, however, and that is how we accept. We do have choices regarding our faith, our attitude, and more. The wisdom to understand that allowing Satan’s influence will wreak havoc on our feelings, faith, and attitude should keep us aware and on guard. The way to strengthen our faith, lessen our anguish, and accept God’s ways is to nurture our faith daily through prayer, meditation, the sacraments, and volunteering services to help others. The payday comes when we begin to feel that regardless of what happens around us in this world, we always go to God. The blessings received for this trust are felt in newfound wisdom, joy, energy, understanding, peace, and much more!