When It's Not What We Expect

There's nothing as disappointing or frustrating than when we set our eyes on a goal that seems plausible and find the complete opposite happening. A baseball team, for example, can win the World Series one year, and then be at the bottom of the list the next year. A runner can break records in one race and then only "place" in the next. A business venture can seem a sure thing and suddenly end up in bankruptcy. How do we deal with these things? Not very well, I'd say: sleepless nights, depression, a sense of utter failure, to name a few. But is that all, is there not something that can lift us back to normal?
Praying to accept that we are not in control, that we are dependent ultimately on God, and turning the whole thing over to him to let him take the lead is a big help. We learn humility; we gain perspective as to what is really important in life; we realize the to breathe and walk normally are great gifts. What if these were taken away? We can also identify with Jesus, who, in human terms, was a failure.....What was going through his mind for all those hours on the cross? Yet it all had to be that way for the greater good of our salvation. Having experienced this total emptying of self, he knows our feelings and treats them with a love and compassion that gives healing and meaning to what we are suffering.
Bro. Rene