Are You Letting Disappointment Derail You from Your Destiny?

Have you ever felt like a closed door, a painful setback, or an unexpected disappointment caused you to question God's plan for your life?

Perhaps you thought you would be further along by now. Maybe you've experienced rejection, loss, unanswered prayers, or circumstances that made you wonder if your dream was still possible.

If that's you, I want to encourage you today: your disappointment does not have the final word—God does.

Some of the greatest men and women in Scripture walked through seasons of confusion, waiting, and heartbreak before stepping into their God-given destiny. Joseph endured betrayal before promotion. David faced years of obscurity before becoming king. Abraham and Sarah waited decades before receiving their promise.

I've discovered that often the greatest temptation during disappointment is not just giving up on a dream—it's giving up on ourselves.

Today, I want to share a personal story of how God transformed one of the most disappointing seasons of my life into a launching pad for greater purpose than I could have imagined. My prayer is that as you read, your faith will rise again, your hope will be renewed, and you will find courage to keep moving forward into everything God has prepared for you.

I remember when I felt called to serve God at the tender age of 5. Many of you may relate to finding Jesus as a child when you were young too.

I then went on to minister in prisons, orphanages, and other places in my teens and then went on to Bible College with my husband, Kevin, when we were in our early 20’s.

I just knew I was called to change the world and lead others to Jesus, so I was excited when our denomination placed us as associate pastors in a town close to where I grew up!

And then disappointment began to grow. Being pregnant during my senior year, I had to leave college, which was devastating for me (yes, learning is my number one strength and achiever is my third one).

My son, Chad was only two months old when we moved and I was ready to pray for anyone who needed help of any kind with Chad on my hip. I was excited, joyful, and so ready to fulfill my call. Finally, I could be recognized as a minister, along with my husband.

I let the lead pastor know who we were serving at that time that I wanted to minister and to let me know if any opportunities were available. After one month, two months, six months, a year later, he never followed up or contacted me to pray for anyone.

It was then that I began to understand that my determination to minister wasn’t “allowed” because I was a woman. I was treated differently and that I better not rock the boat. These issues began to take a toll on my passion to minister, and I began to look elsewhere for my calling and my significance.

If the church rejected me—where could I make a difference?

When we left that church after being there for 2 years, I knew how hurt people were in the church who were covering up their pain and were just following the system to just do what was acceptable. Everyone was hiding.

I will never forget a board member coming up to me a couple weeks before I left who asked me why I looked so sad. I thought, “Finally someone who cared how I was REALLY doing.”

Yet, he didn’t want to see how I was doing and just shamed me by saying that sometimes you just have to fake it and “appear” happy.

That was it—I went back to college in Southern California and opted to get my Psychology degree and not pursue ministry.

Broken and bruised, I entered into higher learning to figure out where I could find my destiny.

During that time, God gave me amazing teachers who began to invite me to learn about the healing power of God and demonstrated through empathy and a listening ear that I was created for greatness. They told me God had a much larger plan for me beyond other people’s limiting beliefs about women.

This disappointment led to so much more fruitfulness than I ever thought possible because I actually understood rejection, comparison, and emotional pain more than if everything had gone smoothly for me.

It took me awhile to forgive and believe in myself again.

I was in so much pain that I never thought any good would come from these two years of depression and disappointment, serving in this first pastorate with my husband.

Yet, I was wrong.

During my last year in college getting my Psych degree, someone introduced me to a new church movement that was just starting, called “The Vineyard.” It was here that I experienced value as a woman who was called to minister and release healing to others.

Everything changed. I was asked to come on church staff and served there 7 years— counseling, leading small groups, women’s ministry, and the welcome team at church.

Now, I want to encourage you with your story. I know that many of you may be going through a hard time, trying to figure out how to deal with loss, disappointment, relational pain, financial stress, or defeating self-talk.

I get it—I understand how the accuser of the brethren works, but I want to encourage you to remember Joseph’s breakthrough moment in seeing his Father again, Abraham and Sarah’s moment when they had a child, and David’s path in finally becoming King of Israel.

They all had to “wait for it.”

I believe “in the waiting” creates faith that is more powerful and fruitful than if things came easy.

Your Promised Land is Waiting For You

Perspective is everything.

12 spies went out to spy out the land in Canaan and 10 came back afraid to venture in and 2 came back with the report that they should go in. Those 10 spies so influence the Israelites that they wandered in the desert for 40 years.

I Release Faith

This means that as we partner with faith in God’s promises for us and we surround ourselves with others who live in faith-then, we will be preparing for God to move.

As I took that position at the Vineyard church, it set me up to plant a church in Huntington Beach with my husband Kevin; and then it led me to move up to Redding and be on staff for 19 years at Bethel Church, overseeing the Creative Arts, putting on conferences, and leading in the BSSM 2nd year environment.

And get this- not only have I been a minister most of my life, but I have started a healing ministry called Create To Be Free, which is touching so many BECAUSE I WALKED THROUGH MY DISAPPOINTMENT and entered INTO MY PROMISED LAND.

Your Story Isn't Over

Friend, if there is one thing I have learned, it is this:

God wastes nothing.

Not your tears. Not your waiting. Not your disappointments. Not even the seasons that seemed unfair or impossible to understand.

What feels like a detour today may actually be preparation for the very destiny God has been shaping in you all along.

The disappointments that once threatened to silence me became the very places where God developed compassion, resilience, wisdom, and greater dependence upon Him. Looking back, I can see that every difficult season was preparing me for greater influence, greater healing ministry, and greater fruitfulness.

And He wants to do the same for you.

So don't quit. Don't settle. Don't allow fear, disappointment, or discouragement to convince you that your best days are behind you.

Your promised land is still ahead. Your dream is still alive. Your calling is still intact.

Keep saying "yes" to God. Keep taking the next step. Keep surrounding yourself with people who will strengthen your faith and remind you of who God says you are.

Remember: what feels like an ending may simply be the beginning of God's greater story.

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." — Galatians 6:9

With love and faith,

-Theresa