Seeker

How do you cope with disappointment? Disappointment is a common human experience. I would be surprised if you could honestly say you have never experienced it. Not unless you have never done anything, never tried anything new, never supported a football team, never loved anyone, never had any dreams or hopes. Disappointment is a normal response to failure, either your own or someone else's. You can be disappointed in yourself. You failed an exam, to get the job, reach work targets or achieve the desired promotion. You broke a promise. You let down your colleagues, friend or relative. You are disappointed in yourself. You know something of how Peter felt after denying he knew Jesus. You can be disappointed in other people. You may blame others for your disappointment. “They” did not do what you wanted. “They” did not do what they should have done or promised. “They” have failed. You are disappointed in them, reluctant to trust them again. You know something of...

A few weeks ago I stood in spring sunshine looking at this door of an old stone dovecote in Monks Risborough.  As you see it was padlocked shut. I was mildly disappointed not to be able to look inside. I was taking part in a Quiet Day for Vocations Advisers - mostly a day of silence when we were free to just sit or wander about the neighbourhood. I wandered and stood and stared and noticed things. As I studied this closed door I found myself thinking about someone who felt a door had been slammed in their face. I remembered similar experiences that I'd been through in the past. One was really painful to deal with because I had pinned so much hope in the expectation that a door would open. It didn't. With the hindsight of many years I'm grateful, but at the time it was agony. Trite cliches like "when one door closes, another opens"  don't help when you're standing outside the locked door trying to deal with the disappointment and hurt. You simply don...