I think our parents do a good job in preparing us to accept disappointments in life. In my case, some of my earliest disappointments were in times when I wanted to follow my parents to town. They would say, “Ok Jed, go and wear your slippers and come.” I would go and put on a camboo and dress up, only to come and meet an empty car park. Those moments hurt like hell! How could my own parents deceive me like that? With time, I adapted to their tricks. I would study their movements in the house, and immediately I realize they are about to step out, I would quickly dress up and meet them at the car. You see, in those times I didn’t care whether they were wearing black and white or a fascinator on a Saturday morning. As soon as I saw a handbag, some type of movements and some car keys, I rushed for my jeans and lacoste. Some people actually manage to hide in the car and go to town with their parents. They were successful. I was hardly successful. Many times I had to go and change back, amidst tears and anger.  

The thing about life is that as we grow, things become more serious. Disappointments become more serious. You chose Krobo Girls, but the computer forced you to go to Wesley girls. Major let down. Then you chose Sociology, but KNUST says they can only allow you to do Medicine. Your lifelong dream of becoming a social worker is quashed and you’re stuck with the lab coat and stethoscope chasing blood at blood banks. Then your boyfriend dumps you painfully. Suddenly, it’s been a whole week and you haven’t eaten kenkey because you are hurting bad. Then you get married and you start struggling to have kids. Then one day you get a call and they are telling you to come home because something unfortunate has happened. You lost a close relative. It looks like the pains and hurt get worse as we grow. We never develop immunity to the pain.  

But I think what makes the pain worse is this. We believe in God. We believe in an all-powerful being who has said nothing is too hard for him. He can just snap his fingers and ba-dum-tss! It is done. So why wouldn’t he just do this one thing for us?!  

I have come to entertain the belief that as long as God’s ways and thoughts are higher than ours, we are bound to be disappointed more often than we’d like. In the same breath where Paul makes this claim, he also says what God has prepared for us has not yet been imagined. So as we go through cycles of unmet expectations, we have to believe and know that God is in control. 

You know, this article was supposed to end on that note. That is true. But I feel strongly to let you my dear reader know that you are really not alone. Truth is that not everything has an explanation. I sometimes think we are too eager to preach down and explain reasons why people go through phases and seasons of disappointments. Sometimes it just doesn’t make sense and it may never do in this life. My dear, there is nothing wrong with you. It doesn’t always mean you are not praying enough. Christians all over experience seasons of disappointments, times when we sincerely feel God has let us down. It takes a lot of faith to sing “Never failed me yet” sometimes, because there are so many instances where I feel God could have come through in a certain way for me. We must however make sure we keep believing and keep growing in the Lord. We must trust that God has the plan. It is terribly difficult, but God graciously supplies the strength with which we navigate these periods. We will be just fine.