How do you handle disappointment in life? That is one of the most important questions of all. From my perspective, it is not a matter of “if” disappointments come, but how do we respond to them when they come? I will give my thoughts about this in the paragraph below, but first I want to give you a little background. In February 1982, I bought my 1955 Ford F100 pickup. I was never intending it to be a show truck because originally it was supposed to be my daily driver. But one thing happened then another and it took 27 years for the truck to be finished. About 1987, I saw an advertisement for a national Ford truck show in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. I thought to myself, “Now that would be a fantastic event to attend with my truck.” Over the years, the more I saw pictures of other show trucks at that in Pigeon Forge, the more I wanted to go. This year was going to be the year! I scheduled time off a year in advance, made hotel reservations, and registered for the show. The last thing that I needed was to take my truck to the paint shop and have a few paint chips repaired so that it would be show ready. As many of you know, while I was driving to the paint shop, a part on the rear end broke. This caused major damage to the paint inside the bed of the truck. As soon as I saw the damage, I knew that my hope of going to the show again this year would not happen. Talk about disappointing! I have been waiting to go to this show for over 25 years, and all I know now is that it will not happen again.
When disappointments happen what do you do? Let me tell you what I have done over the six weeks since that happened.
• First, talk it out with other people. Jake Allen was there with me when my truck broke because he was going to drive me back home. We had a long time to talk. When I got home, I talked about it with Diana. We also talked about it a long time. Talking it out helped me think about some things I had not yet thought of. What if I had not taken the truck to the paint shop and the truck would have broken on the first day of the trip? What if the truck would have crashed when the rear end broke? What would have happened if I was in the left lane when this happened instead of the right lane? We need to talk to other people who help us get through the emotions of the disappointment, and also help us see the bigger picture.
• Second, seeing the bigger involves more than looking at and asking “What if.” It also involves thinking about “Plan B.” Before the problem with my truck I had no “ Plan B.” Plan A was to go to the truck show and then drive to Chicago, pick up my father-in-law who was flying in from Memphis, and then drive old Route 66 from Chicago to Oklahoma City, and then drive home. Simple plan, but then something happened. Someone told me, “Your disappointments are only as big as your expectations.” In this case the expectation was big, and the disappointment was just as big. But with the help of Diana and other family members, Plan B was created. Plan B is this: My father-in-law is flying here this Thursday; we are driving Route 66 from Adrian, Texas to Chicago; then our son is flying into Chicago; and then all three of us are driving down to Indianapolis to go to the Indianapolis 500. Plan B is fantastic! But I would have never had plan B if it was not for loving people who walked with me in the midst of my disappointment.
• Third, don’t ever leave Jesus out of the equation. Sometimes we get the idea that Jesus is too busy to mess with anything as unimportant as plans like this. I believe just the opposite. I believe that Jesus loves us so much that He wants us talk to Him about everything in our lives. He wants to hear about our highs and lows as well as our joys and disappointments. The apostle Paul wrote these words in Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” As I was praying about this trip, Jesus gave me a peace about it before any Plan B plans were made. I was also content with knowing it was ok if the trip did not happen because I was safe and there are people and an amazing God who loved me.
If you have disappointments, talk them out with others and with Jesus. Let them help you see a bigger picture and if possible create a Plan B.
Well, Plan B is going to happen for me beginning this Friday. If you want to keep up with what is happening, I will be occasionally posting pictures on my blog which you can access on the home page of the church’s web site.
You are a wonderful congregation.
It is a pleasure to be your pastor,
Dr. Dean Posey
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