Disappointment & Perspective

30 minutes ago I received a phone call that instantly dampened my spirit and made me consider what I could have done to change the situation. Instantly in my mind I wanted to retrace the steps that I/we have made over the past couple of weeks and change things to create a different outcome. But alas, that is not possible. Unlike our friends Marty & Doc Brown (Back to the Future) we are not able to change the past. Our only hope is to change our present and our future...and perhaps to find some solace in God's sovereignty as well.

The disappointment that I am experiencing right now is about our dream for a missional coffee house in Old Town Newhall. We were very excited about the prospects of a turnkey operation being a very real possibility in our very near future. All of that was dashed when someone leased the building we were looking at before we got our offer in. Providence or procrastination...that is the question circling around in my brain right now. If I have to land on one side or the other, I'll choose providence....sovereignty. I have a little bit of experience in this area.

Recently, Mimi and I had someone from the Kirby Vacuum company come by and do a demonstration for us. They actually cleaned and shampooed the downstairs carpet. It was great...except that they actually showed us the stuff left behind by our vacuum...also a Kirby that I had bought used at a garage sale one month earlier. Well, we were sold. The new machine worked infinitely better than the old one. But the sticker shock sent us into a panic. It was going to be an additional $1000 even with our trade-in for the newer unit. Mimi and I were not ready to make a commitment like that. We saw the value and how well it worked. We liked that it picked up all the stuff ours left and was effortless to use...but $1000 is a lot of money for us. So after a couple of hours of haggling with the sales person and manager we declined.

Mimi and I were both disappointed that we didn't get the new one! One thing that did come out of our encounter was a commitment to get our Kirby working like it was supposed to. So I called the Kirby repair company and brought it in for a tune up. $20 later my Kirby was fixed and working like a charm. Now we could have easily spent the $1000 and gotten a good vacuum, but God provided a way for a whole lot less money and an added benefit was the increased trust we gained in the sovereignty of God. Blessings in your disappointments as you gain perspective!