When You’re Disappointed With Yourself

I had big plans for this week. This was the week I was going to catch up on a bit of rest, reset my house from the previous events, and focus a bit on my writing projects. Yep, it was going to be a glorious, productive week.

But, now the week is halfway through, and I'm confused about my lack of accomplishments. Sure, I've done a bit of housework and spent a bit of time on a single writing project. But where did the rest of the time go? Why hasn't more been done? What have I been doing all week?  Good grief!

We've all had those days (or weeks) when our best intentions seem to crumble like a poorly constructed house of cards. We tell ourselves we'll do better, be better, but then life happens, and we find ourselves falling short…again.

In those moments, it's easy to feel disappointed. Not just with our circumstances, but with ourselves. We beat ourselves up, wondering why we can't seem to get it right. We question our faith, our commitment, our very worthiness. And if we're not careful, we can spiral into a pit of despair, convinced that God must be just as disappointed in us as we are in ourselves.

But the truth is, God isn't surprised by our failures. He doesn't look at us with a shake of His head and a sigh of disappointment. No, He looks at us with eyes full of love and compassion. He knows our frame and remembers that we are dust (Psalm 103:14). He knows we're going to stumble and fall. But He also knows that we can rise again, and again, and again.

Proverbs 24:16 tells us, "For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again...". Seven times. That's a lot of falling. But it's also a lot of rising. And how does the just man rise? By the grace of God. That same grace that saved us is the same grace that sustains us, lifts us up when we fall, dusts us off, and sets us back on our feet.

Lamentations 3:22–23 reminds us, "It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." Every morning, my friend. Every single morning, God's compassions are new. His mercies are fresh. His faithfulness is great. That means that no matter how many times we fall, no matter how many times we fail, His grace is there to pick us up, dust us off, and help us try again.

So, the next time you find yourself disappointed with your own performance, remember that God's love for you isn't based on your ability to be perfect. It's based on His perfect love for you. He doesn't expect you to be flawless. He just expects you to keep trying, getting back up, and fixing your eyes on Jesus.

And remember, failure isn't the end of the story when grace is the main character. So, get up, dust yourself off, and let's try again. With God's help, we can do this. One step at a time, one day at a time, one moment at a time. Always looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).