Disappointment: Accepting What You Can’t Control

Reflect

Once again, Joseph was blindsided by awful circumstances. Being falsely accused - and ending up in prison - had to be disappointing. He had overcome adversity and defied expectations… and now this. It was unfair!

Joseph could’ve easily felt forgotten. To continue to follow God’s will, he had to accept what he couldn’t control. That’s a hard pill to swallow. When everything seems to be spinning out of control, our instinct is to take the wheel, pushing Jesus aside. But Joseph modeled a better way.

Jesus took a similar posture in the garden of Gethsemane. He asked that the Father would spare Him from crucifixion if there was any other option. But He also surrendered the final outcome to God’s will. Once again, Joseph’s story helps us make sense of the radical faith Jesus calls us to live out.

React

1. What is your natural response when you’re disappointed?

2. What is a Bible verse, worship lyric, or prayer you can fall back on when you encounter disappointment?

3. Pray this simple prayer: “Father, not as I will, but as you will.”