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Seed Thoughts August 2015

seed thoughs 3

 // Lynette Hagin

"The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be Like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." -Isaiah 58:11 (NIV)

Have you ever experienced a disappointment? I am sure that you are thinking, "Not just one disappointment, but many in my lifetime!" I certainly can identify.

The first disappointment that I remember was at the age of 10. Our elementary school was having a fall carnival and a king and queen were going to be crowned at the end. The students from each grade voted to choose a prince and princess for that grade. I was chosen as the princess of the fifth grade class.

The contest centered on how many votes you received. It was a school fundraiser, so each penny that a candidate collected counted as a vote for him or her. At the end of the carnival, the girl and boy who had raised the most money were crowned king and queen of the school. We had around two months to collect our monies. I went to all of my relatives and friends, and they gave me money. I sold cookies and other items to raise money. In that era, soft drinks were sold in glass bottles, and you would return them to the store and receive a deposit back. I collected bottles from all of my family and friends and got money that way.

Needless to say, I worked for the votes I received. At the start of the carnival, I was in first place. I was so excited! Then the master of ceremonies announced that votes could be collected for 10 more minutes. I thought that I had won because I was considerably ahead. Right before the 10 minutes were up, another girl's father put in a large sum of money for his daughter to win the contest. I was devastated. I held my head high as we were positioned for a group picture with the king and queen. However, when I got into the car with my father, I lost my composure. I said, "Dad, that was not fair. I worked for my votes, and her dad simply put money in at the last minute so his daughter could win." My dad, being very wise, said, "Honey, life is not always fair. But you have to rise above the disappointments that you experience and know that with God, you are always a winner."

I pulled myself together and then asked God to take the hurt away and help me not to hold bitterness in my heart toward the girl who had won.

I learned this very valuable lesson early. Disappointments come our way all through life. You can allow them to hinder you or you can use them as stepping-stones. You can allow them to permanently scar your life or you can look to our Heavenly Father, the One Who will always heal your broken heart. Psalm 34:18–19 (NLT) says, "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time."

One of our friends, Bruce Haynes, wrote a song called "Praise His Name." The lyrics speak so clearly about how we should react in disappointing times. He gave me permission to include them here.

When you're up against a wall and your mountain seems so tall, and you realize that life's not always fair, You can run away and hide, let the old man decide, Or you can change your circumstances with a prayer. When everything falls apart, praise His Name. When you have a broken heart, raise your hands and say, "Lord, You're all I need. You're everything to me." And He'll take the pain away. When it seems you're all alone, praise His Name. When you feel you can't go on, raise your hands and say, "Greater is He that is within me." You can praise the hurt away, if you'll just praise His Name.

As I asked the Lord what to write about this month, I seemed impressed that there was someone, or maybe more than one person, who had experienced quite a few disappointments over the last several months. So many times the enemy tries to direct us to be mad at God for circumstances that befall us. During disappointing times, I encourage you to go to God, not run from Him. He will help you get through every situation and circumstance.

Know that if you have made Jesus the Lord of your life, God is your personal God. And He will cause you to always triumph in spite of every difficult and disappointing situation you may encounter.