With tear filled eyes, I clicked “cancel flight.” The girls weekend I had really been looking forward to was officially not going to happen due to a snow storm that was heading our way. It was Thursday night. I was supposed to leave the next day to meet up with friends for a beach vacation, and I had to be back on Sunday. With the snow storm plowing toward us, there was no guarantee that would happen. After praying about it and weighing my options, I decided to cancel my trip.

No longer would I be reunited with two longtime friends I hadn’t seen in ages. No longer could I think ahead to the excitement that had been planned for months. No longer would I get a weekend away to recharge.

I was disappointed to say the least.

God’s Guidance and Grace

But God.

He gave me two verses that afternoon—verses He had brought to my mind as I was determining whether or not I should cancel the flight.

The first verse was Proverbs 3:6, “In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths” (NKJV).

I had prayed about whether or not I should go on the trip in the first place and prayed again about whether or not I should cancel my trip. I had acknowledged God through prayer multiple times, and He directed events and my heart in a way that would cause me to cancel the trip. And I could trust His leading in that.

The second verse was Philippians 4:19, “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (NASB).

All of the benefits I would’ve received from a weekend away—time to rest and recharge and reconnect with old friends—I could trust in God’s hands. When we fully follow God, we can absolutely trust Him to meet all of our needs (Philippians 4:14-20).

While there was still some doubt on if I made the right decision to cancel the trip (I didn’t know if the storm would be as bad as predicted), these verses gave me comfort and reassurance. And ultimately, I was thankful. Thankful that God is a trustworthy God who directs our paths and meets our needs. Thankful that He speaks to us through His word and Spirit to comfort and guide us through life’s disappointments (first world though they may be). And those truths lifted my spirit better than any beach vacation ever could.

Your Unexpected Disappointment

Friend, what about you? Have you had an unforeseen disappointment impact your life? Maybe it was something minor like my cancelled trip, or maybe it was something life-changing, like a move, serious illness, or betrayal.

No matter our disappointments, we can trust that God sees what’s happening. And not only that, but He also cares immensely for us and comforts our hearts through His Spirit and His word. If you have nothing else about your situation for which to be thankful, you can thank God for who He is and His love for you.

While I still think back to that missed weekend with disappointment, a thread of thankfulness is also woven through that memory.

Thankfulness for a God who sees me.

Thankfulness for a God who cares about me.

Thankfulness for a God who makes promises and keeps them.

And in case you were curious, the snowstorm ended up being as big and dangerous as they’d predicted, and my return flight and several others after were cancelled. God had guided me to the right decision. And once again, I was thankful.

Meet Julie Parido

Where to find her . . .

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Begin Within is a series to inspire a year-round lifestyle of gratitude that will impact not only your own life, but the lives of your neighbors as well. Gratitude is a theme we talk about often around here because it ties so closely into other missional living rhythms. Practicing gratitude reminds to keep our hearts soft and expectant and our eyes open. Therefore, the more we embrace gratitude, the easier it becomes to truly see our neighbors and where we can join what God is already doing in our neighborhoods.

If you would like to contribute to Begin Within, you can find the submission guidelines here.