06/08/2026
This is a GOOD WORD from Bishop Leah Gregory!
Disappointment, Redirection, and the Grace of God
Memorial Day weekend Stan and I spent time with our almost two-year-old granddaughter, Amelia Grace—our Millie.
As often happens when you’re around toddlers, I was reminded of a profound spiritual truth.
Millie could be completely heartbroken over the smallest things. The wrong cup. A closed door. A snack that was gone. In those moments, her little world seemed to fall apart.
And yet, with a bit of redirection, a new focus, or a loving embrace, she would be laughing again within minutes.
Watching her, I realized how much adults are like toddlers.
We experience disappointment and become fixated on what we’ve lost—the opportunity that didn’t come, the relationship that changed, the plan that unraveled, the prayer that seemed unanswered. We stare at the closed door and struggle to see anything beyond it.
Yet throughout Scripture, God often works through disappointment. Joseph’s betrayal led to God’s provision. Naomi’s grief opened the door to redemption. The disciples’ despair at the cross gave way to the joy of resurrection.
Disappointment is often the space between our plans and God’s purposes.
John Wesley taught that God’s grace is always at work, shaping us and drawing us closer to Christ. Sometimes God removes our disappointments. More often, He redirects us through them.
What appears to be a setback may be preparation. What feels like a closed door may be protection. What seems like loss may become transformation.
The longer I walk with Christ, the more convinced I become that spiritual maturity is not learning how to avoid disappointment. It is learning to trust that God is still at work when we cannot yet see how God will use it for good.
Millie eventually forgot the thing that had broken her heart and moved on to something better.
Perhaps there is wisdom there for us as well.
The God who sees the whole story can be trusted with the chapters we do not yet understand. Sometimes faith is simply allowing our Heavenly Father to gently lift our eyes from the disappointment in front of us and redirect our gaze toward His greater purpose.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” That is easier said than done—but it is still the path to peace.
