A
few days ago, we received the sad news that our grandson missed passing his EMT
class. He needed an 80, and got 78.3. To miss a really big goal by less than
two percent was a huge disappointment. He will need to wait until July to start
the class over, and he will have to pay for the class again. In his mind, he
has lost both time and money. I understood how disappointed he was feeling
about the situation.
The
very next day, our daughter—his mom—found out an on-line application she had
helped her father-in-love (OK, I just like that much better than father-in-law)
send in. They had an email message confirming receipt, and they had the confirmation
number, but the employer had no such application in the system. The following
day, they were told to apply online again, only to have the very same “candidate”
number as the application that was already not showing up in the system. They
were understandably frustrated.
I
spoke with a woman navigating cancer who was had her scheduled appointment for radiation
treatment canceled a second time because of a problem with the machine. Of
course, she was feeling disappointment, frustration, and fear.
As
we observe the circumstances each of these individuals are going through—and
the emotions generated by the unique conditions—it is rather amazing how visible universal patterns are coming to
be. We understand the feelings. How do we find grace and peace in the midst of
such times? How do we get over disappointment, frustration, and fear?
Perhaps
things are not all that different, after all….
