Gratitude for Setbacks
Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” – Melody Beattie
I cannot count the many times I have had to bounce back from setbacks, delays, disappointments and rejections with more motivation because I swapped my anger and frustration with letting go and giving thanks. You might probably have heard of this saying before - A rejection is God’s protection through redirection - this has become one of my favourite mantras because when I have looked back on things that haven’t gone my way I can only give thanks for the outcomes.
A couple of years ago I was looking to upgrade my car so I visited the car dealership, chose my new car and got all the paperwork done. This was during the period of the component shortage where the lead times on cars had suddenly gone from weeks to months. I was assured that I would have mine within 6 weeks so I left a happy woman in anticipation of getting my new car soon. Four weeks into the waiting period my sales rep contacted me to let me know that there were further delays and that my car was not yet in the queue for production.
So how long is it going to be now? I asked.
Another 4-6 weeks he replied.
OK, I’ll wait. I responded.
The 6-12 weeks wait turned to 6 months of me chasing without success and at this time I had made up my mind not to pursue this anymore because I was moving. Then after 8 months of waiting the sales rep gets in touch to let me know that the car I had ordered had come in. I then told him I was no longer interested as I was moving within a year’s time. He wasn’t happy about my decision but I then reminded him that to no fault of either of us, I had waited 8 moths for the car and in that time made a decision of moving. I then asked for him to confirm if the rules of me buying the car was going to tie me to it for at least 3 years before I could upgrade or terminate my contract without a penalty? He confirmed this and then I politely declined the new car.
In the early stages when I was happily waiting and got the first news of the delay I was disappointed and frustrated because this among other things were not going as I hoped. I started questioning why I was struggling so much to get accepted for a house, or even get the car I wanted in a decent time frame? After some time and meditation I resigned to things being ok, I let go and forgot about it because I still had a perfectly working car that was only 4 years old.
You might be facing situations where things aren’t going exactly as you hoped for, do not give up or be dismayed. Oh, and you can express your frustration and I suggest you do so in a controlled manner but do not stay there too long. Go through the emotions and get yourself to a place of acceptance and an open mind to see possibilities for whatever you are battling has an opening for something else. My encouragement is when there is too much resistance, take a step back, release the need to be in control and let God/Source take control for we can see only a limited portion of the big picture.
This month is exactly a year ago that I made the decision for a new car but never got the chance to drive it and as I look back I am very grateful for the delays as I would have been in a tight financial situation because it would have been just a year into my contract, which meant paying a not so pleasant penalty had I broken it earlier than the contracted 3 years. So much has happened within a year and for whatever reason, I give thanks for the things that have been kept from me, the new job, the new home and the new car, all of these would have put me in a situation of being tied into contracts that would be a challenge to getting out off earlier. Today, I sigh with relief and express my utmost gratitude knowing that the delays, rejections and disappointments were all God’s protection through redirection. Are there any encounters that you have experienced that in retrospect have made you grateful for a delay, disappointment or rejection? I’d love for you to share in the comments.
Affirmation: I am divinely guided and protected at all times