The Best Is Coming: Facing Disappointment and Hardships without Fear

“It’s okay, Susan. Don’t be disappointed.” I said the words to the crestfallen young woman on my TV screen, as if the movie actress from long ago could hear me.

I was rewatching an old favorite of mine, Summer Magic, and I’d reached the moment where Susan, played by the incomparable Hayley Mills, realizes her cousin has won the battle for the handsome young school teacher.

When the two young women competed to win the affections of the teacher, Susan was completely herself—talkative, smart, and enthusiastic.

Susan’s cousin, on the other hand, employed a tactic of pretending to be “dumb,” as well as demure and sophisticated.

As viewers, we’re rooting for the authentic and infinitely likable Susan to win the guy. And we feel her deep disappointment when her cousin wins him over instead.

But now that I’ve watched this movie about a hundred times, give or take, I’m no longer disappointed when Susan is. Because I know something she doesn’t.

I know, as I told Susan on the screen, that the best is yet to come.

[Spoiler alert] Just around the corner, there’s a better man who will show up out of the blue and will fall for her—authentic, lovable, Susan. He’s a superior “catch” to the teacher in many ways, and he comes just when Susan thought all was lost and was resigned to being single.

After several viewings of this movie, when I was telling Susan at her low point to hang in there, I realized I’m like Susan. I’ve been there so many times in my life.

When my plans fall through, disappointment brings me down. (Sound familiar to anyone during this pandemic?)

When my goals and dreams remain out of reach for years, I lose hope, growing cynical and pessimistic.

When I lose a loved one, I vow never to love again.

And when any of us lives long enough to experience the troubles of life, we start to fear.

What if life won’t ever return to “normal” after the pandemic?

What if I never attain my dreams?

What if I won’t ever be happy again?

What if I’m disappointed again, lose again, fail again, hurt again?

But here’s a different what if. What if, like Susan, the writer of our story has planned something better for us just around the corner?

What if the only way we can experience that best gift yet to come is by going through the hardships of today?

The power of this what if is that it’s not a what if. It’s an is.

The Writer of our story, God our Creator, has planned the best possible journey for His children and is bringing that plan about, right now, when all we can see is disappointment or the other trials we fear.

Our Father promises that better things are yet to come even in this earthly life.

And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.” – Luke 18:29-30

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
– Lamentations 3:22-23

Even in the midst of our coronavirus troubles, whatever they may look like, we need to remember that the Writer of our lives has a good and perfect plan that includes better things to come in this life.

Those better things may not look like the dream vacations or career advances or marital and family bliss we think would be best. But whatever God has in store, we can trust that it is the best, even if we can’t see that truth in the moment.

And no matter how grim life gets, we have the assurance of an even greater future—the promise that we will someday experience the very best God has planned for us in our eternity with Christ.

But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”… – 1 Corinthians 2:9

I don’t know about you, but I’m a creative writer by trade—I can imagine very, very BIG. But God tells me here that even I, and greater imaginations than mine, cannot conceive of the wonderful best God has prepared for us who love Him.

And, in Romans, we’re given another indication of how wonderful our future will be:

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. – Romans  8:18

Every time I watch the movie Summer Magic, I start to get really excited in the final scenes as the story crests to the climax. I know the handsome hero is going to appear and show Susan that he likes her, that he’s choosing her.

But Susan doesn’t know that.

Yet, what makes the climactic scene all the better is the one that comes right before it. Susan is alone, feeling frustrated and forlorn that she must attend the celebratory dance without a date. But then she rallies.

She realizes she doesn’t need what she thought she did to be happy. She doesn’t need a man to be confident, enjoy her life, and do what she needs to do.

She resolves to continue on with joy, even without knowing the happy surprise that’s awaiting her just around the literal corner.

Her response is exactly what mine needs to be. Even when all I can see is the difficulty, the disappointment, the trial, I need to continue to live the life God has given me and do the work He has called me to do.

I need to remember that I don’t need whatever I thought I did in order to live God’s journey for me with joy. If the best for my life was what I thought was best, God would have made that happen.

And I have a huge advantage over Susan. She didn’t know what was in store for her. She didn’t know her future would be better.

But I know I have nothing to fear, now or in my future. Because I know the best is yet to come.

What promises of God are helping you battle fear and disappointment during this time? Please share!

Photos by Roman Klimenko, Anh Nguyen, Bud Helisson, and frank mckenna on Unsplash. Original graphics designed by Jerusha Agen.