Dealing With Disappointment

As the NFL regular season approaches, many teams around the league have begun making official announcements concerning their depth charts heading into their openers.

One team to make such an announcement was the Indianapolis Colts, who named veteran signal caller Daniel Jones as their starting quarterback earlier this week.

With Jones engaged in a fierce competition with recent first-round pick Anthony Richardson for the starting job, his selection in the starting lineup affords him another opportunity to prove what he can do in the league.

Although Jones demonstrated glimpses of the talent that earned him the sixth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft during his six-year stint with the New York Giants, he was ultimately benched midway through the 2024 season due to his inconsistent performance.

But rather than sulk about the disappointing end to his time in the Big Apple, Jones continued to train diligently, putting himself into a position to succeed with his new team.

Interestingly, Jones’ ability to deal with disappointment will now have a chance to be replicated by the very man that he beat out for the starting job.

Regarded by many as one of the truly elite specimens in all of football from a purely physical standpoint, Richardson has been wildly erratic throwing the football in his first two seasons in the league, having completed just 50.6% of his career passes entering 2025.  

After being drafted fourth overall by the Colts in 2023, Richardson now will have his opportunity to respond to the disappointment of being beat out in a quarterback competition.

Moving forward, he will either use this as motivation to continue training and set himself up for success, or he will become dejected and fail to take the necessary steps to turn his career around.

While most of us do not know what it’s like to face the pressures of being a professional quarterback, we all know what it is like to encounter disappointments in life.

Whether it's failing to reach a goal, a relationship that doesn't turn out as expected, or receiving the bad news we never wanted to hear, we've all experienced moments in life where we've felt the devastating weight of frustration, disappointment, and despondency.

In those moments, we all have a choice that we must make. We can either choose to sulk in our disappointment, potentially causing our situation to spiral further out of control, or we can look to God and respond in trust and faithfulness.

Regardless of the situation we face, we must always be intentional about reminding ourselves that God is sovereign and truly in control.

Yes, that means God has a purpose even in the midst of the worst situations we endure. It doesn’t mean that there won’t be hurt, pain, or disappointment. However, it does mean that we can avoid becoming completely hopeless, as we find comfort and solace in the fact that God is using those difficult times to conform us into the image of His Son.

As Romans 8:28 (NIV) reminds us, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

Let’s be honest, it isn’t so hard to feel like you are trusting God when everything is going well in your life. It takes true faith, however, to continue trusting Him when it seems like everything is falling apart around you.

While the Bible repeatedly emphasizes the sovereignty of God and His control over all things, it also points out the responsibility we have in making informed choices and decisions. Ultimately, we are responsible for making choices that honor God, while He is responsible for the outcomes that we encounter.

When we become completely dejected and are wallowing in disappointment, we are, in essence, expressing dissatisfaction with the way that God has exercised His authority in the area of “outcomes.”

We often don’t think of it in this manner. Still, excessive sadness and hopeless mourning demonstrate a lack of contentment with the way that God has exercised His sovereignty and a lack of faith in the fact that He will ultimately use all things for good in our lives if we are believers.

Instead of focusing our attention on the outcomes of situations in our lives, God calls us to trust His goodness and kindness as He leads us. Furthermore, He calls us to focus our attention on the responsibility He's given us, ensuring that we make wise decisions that honor Him.  

A passage of Scripture that ties all of these concepts together is Revelation 2:10 (ESV). Jesus speaks to the church of Smyrna, telling them, “Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.”

Even though Jesus tells the people in advance that some of them will go through incredible trials and persecutions, notice that He still calls them to faithfulness in their dealings.

The suffering would be immense for some, yet Jesus promises that He will use all of that suffering for good, promising the crown of life to those who persevere.

Today, let’s remember that our God is truly sovereign and will actually work all things together for our good. Even if we don’t see or understand everything in the here and now, there is a crown of life that is waiting for us if we are trusting in Christ.

In the meantime, let’s focus on being faithful with our actions. Let’s conduct ourselves in such a manner as to bring glory to God, leaving the results up to Him.  

I’m Matt Osborne, and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for promising me that You will use even the worst things in my life for my good. Please help me to be faithful in all of my dealings and to trust You no matter what disappointments I may face. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.