Our Disappointments are His Divine Appointments~Meet My College Girlfriends!

     

        Is this a happy bunch of women, or what? The picture above was taken this past weekend with a very special group of friends at our Meredith girls 20th annual college beach reunion on the east coast. We had a ball. We laughed together and we cried together. 
     There's nothing like being with people who you have lived with for four years—who know you so well—and somehow—still love you. That's true friendship! We truly love each other! Hi Jean! Hi Mae! Hi Ella! Hi Andrea, Booker, Jane, Bitsey, Lisa, Lou Ann, Amy, Kim, & Sheila!☺(missing those who couldn't come) We'll pick it right back up same time next year—like a good ole pair of shoes. 

"A friend loves at all times, And a brother (we can add, sister, too!) is born for adversity."

~ Proverbs 17:7

     There is so much I could say about these friends and the bond we share. I've decided to do something totally different today, and let you get a sneak peak at what I said about them in my manuscript, but first—a little background.

      God's ways are mysterious, aren't they? We may plan our lives—but He determines the steps and is the giver of all good gifts. The story in the excerpt picks up below after I have just found out I did not get into the University of Virginia, my "first choice" college. 
      To read the one-page excerpt, click here. 

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      That refusal from the University of Virginia hurt when I read it all those years ago. Like a good doctor, God may have to hurt us, but he will never harm us. God's will for us is always the will of love! He has our best interests in mind!

      Here's one thing I do now with disappointment:

      Find a time when I can be alone with God.

      I close the door.

      I get on my knees. (Helps me recall He is GOD & I'm His!)

      I cup my hands. 

      I visualize the hurt or disappointment in my hands.

      I lift my hands up high over my head, with open cupped hands.

      As I turn my face up to Him, I acknowledge Him (aloud).

      I tell Him I am not going to lean on my understanding. 

      I offer the disappointment to God, and leave it with Him.

      I thank Him that He is in charge of my life.

      I entrust myself to Him anew again.

      Leave the consequences of my obedience in this thing to Him.

      The results of my obedience are none of my business; they are God's business. My business is to obey by giving the disappointment to Him. Our faith can actually be strengthened when we give our disappointment to Him in faith knowing nothing can reach us without gaining His permission first!  

  

      I'm so thrilled that my plans were refused all those years ago! It ended up being a gateway to joy, and how I met these wonderful girlfriends, my future husband, and ultimately—my Lord. God's refusals truly are His greatest mercies. Our disappointments are His appointments!

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father" 

~James 1:17

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." 

~Proverbs 16:9

Walk by Faith,