I was reading this verse in 2 Corinthians 7:10 the other day. It says, "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death."
I thought that was interesting. I read it a few times, trying to wrap my mind around it but it turned out to be pretty simple. Here's what I got out of it:
sorrow: a feeling of deep distress caused by loss, disappointment, or other misfortune suffered by oneself or others.
So what is worldly sorrow? Well, I think it's being sad or disappointed about something that doesn't really matter: someone didn't do exactly what you wanted them to so now you're mad at them, your favorite shirt has a hole in it (fun fact: this happened to be just the other day :( ), your sibling is being really annoying, you have a chore to do that you don't feel up to, your plans for the evening didn't work out, that guy you like didn't ask you out, you didn't make that team, you didn't get that job... the list goes on and on and on! Get the picture?
God doesn't want us to focus on the petty disappointments in life. Sure, you thought that job was your future and you got rejected. You thought that guy was the man of your dreams. It didn't work out. You planned on going out for a night with friends but your car won't start. Guess what? It wasn't God's plan. So don't waste your time wallowing in self-pity.
Recognize the fact that it wasn't meant to be and move on.
We need to spend our limited time thinking about things more meaningful than the small disappointments in life. Trust me, there will be plenty of those and we don't have time to stress about each one.
But read that verse again. It talks about godly sorrows. Big difference from worldly sorrows.
Godly sorrows consists of things that would bring sorrow to God: someone who's not a Christian or is falling away from God, injustices (human trafficking, abortion, etc.), someone who's not content with the gender that God created them to be, orphans, widows... this list could go on too. God wants us to spend our sorrow on these issues; praying and doing what we can to help.
I know it can be hard, but I also know that if it doesn't make God sad, I don't want to waste my time crying over it. But, we are human. I'm not saying we won't have days where we can't help being disappointed in something. I'm saying that we need to ask ourselves, "Is this really worth spending my time on? Is this really worth getting upset about?" And sometimes, the answer might be no but we still cry about it; we are still disappointed. But I hope that we'll get over it; that we can move on, knowing that God is in control and that it wasn't meant to be.
Rememeber, God's plan is the best plan. And He's got a path designed specifically for you! So, the next time you're disappointed, the next time something doesn't go your way, try letting it go and thanking God that it didn't happen. Something I like to do is say, "Well at least this (something much worse) didn't happen!" And I gotta say it helps! If not only just to lighten the mood. :P
Remind yourself that God's got this.
Because He absolutely does!
Let's focus our disappointments on godly sorrows. We'll have a much more fruitful and fulfilling life if we do.
"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans." Proverbs 16:3
"In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps." Proverbs 16:9
