Disappointment to a noble soul is what cold water is to burning metal; it strengthens, tempers,intensifies, but never destroys it. ~Eliza Tabor
Dis`ap*point”ed\, a. 1. Defeated of expectation or hope; balked; as, a disappointed person or hope. 2. Unprepared; unequipped. [Obs.] Cut off even in the blossoms of my sin, Unhouseled, disappointed, unaneled. –Shak.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc
It’s interesting how quickly plans can change, creating disappointment. You’re heading down a path carefully laid before you. Then all of a sudden you hit a dead end. Feeling sucker-punched, you are left to figure out how to get back up and keep going. Having felt the sting of disappointment lately, it dawned on me that I really didn’t know the true meaning of the word. I was intrigued by what I found.
dis-
1
| Latin prefix meaning “apart,” “asunder,” “away,” “utterly,” or having a privative, negative, or reversing force; used freely, esp. with these latter senses, as an English formative: disability; disaffirm; disbar; disbelief; discontent; dishearten; dislike; disown. |
Origin:
< L (akin to bis, Gk dís twice); before f, dif-; before some consonants, di-; often r. obs. des-
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
and then I found this:
Appoint
Ap*point”\ ([a^]p*point”), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Appointed ; p. pr. & vb. n.
Appointing.] [OE. appointen, apointen, OF. apointier to prepare, arrange, lean, place, F. appointer to give a salary, refer a cause, fr. LL. appunctare to bring back to the point, restore, to fix the point in a controversy, or the points in an agreement; L. ad + punctum a point. See Point.]1. To fix with power or firmness; to establish; to mark out. When he appointed the foundations of the earth. –Prov. viii. 29. 2. To fix by a decree, order, command, resolve, decision, or mutual agreement; to constitute; to ordain; to prescribe; to fix the time and place of. Thy servants are ready to do whatsoever my lord the king shall appoint. –2 Sam. xv. 15.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
So, it would seem that disappointment does indeed relate to a person being knocked off-course. But what if, just perhaps, the course one was on was not the course on which she was destined to be? Could it be that what appears to be disappointment, is really the hand of the divine reaching into the earthly realm to change my course for the better?
All good Christians have memorized Romans 8:28:
28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. ~Romans 8:28 NLT
The question is, do we really believe that it is true? To think that the divine creator has a plan, and that He would intervene in my little world, sometimes causing (or allowing depending on your theological bent) disappointment.
So maybe, just maybe what we often think of as disappointment is really an appointment. Perhaps, we are being unwittingly set up for something greater than what we had originally planned for ourselves. I plan to test this theory in the coming days-an experiment of sorts. I want to test for myself and see if the divine really does reach down to touch the lowly. In this time of my life when I feel like I have been abandoned, I think it will be an interesting experiment. I have my fingers crossed, hoping that the faith of my childhood will be proven right. Keep watching friends…I plan to report back with my results!
