Disappointment

Mark Batterson post:  Do Not Lose Heart

I love the phrase that is repeated several times in II Corinthians 4: "do not lose heart." It has sustained me the last few days.

I still can't believe the Alcatraz Swim was canceled. We had trained for months. It took quite a bit of time and money to get out to San Fran. And we were emotionally amped. The adrenaline was pumping through our veins as we got ready to jump into the water. Then, without warning, they pulled the plug. It was like a sucker punch that knocks the wind out of you because you didn't see it coming. I had no clue that was even a possibility.

Swimming Alcatraz was more than a life goal. It was a rite of passage for Summer. I wanted to show her that she was capable of more than she realized. I wanted her to do something that would test her mental and physical limits. I wanted that shared experience. We certainly redeemed the time. And the goal wasn't as important as the time we shared as Father and Daughter. But there is still that feeling of an unresolved chord in our hearts.

I feel like I'm taking a graduate course in disappointment. This is one of those things that was simply out of my control. And something like this can't not get you down if you really had your heart set on it. There is no way not to feel a letdown. But too often we let these kinds of things keep us down. That's the issue. If you stay down, you fail the test. The way you pass the test is simply by getting back up. We will return to Alcatraz! I'm not sure when. But that goal stays on the list. I have an even greater resolve. And we'll train even harder the next time. I believe that disappointment is a form of preparation. It pulls out new levels of resolve, new levels of persistence, new levels of desire. Honestly, this helps me appreciate the goals already accomplished even more. And it steels my resolve to go after the goals remaining.

Do not lose heart!