Rise Above
Disappointment
By SHEILA WALSH
When I think of all the emotions that
make up who we are, disappointment
is one of the hardest to handle. So
many things fall under that one word,
but they don’t weigh the same. I was
disappointed that the Dallas Cowboys
didn’t have a better season last year but
that didn’t leave a mark on my heart.
(We always have next year!) Some
situations though devastate us and
leave us breathless. Three months into
my pregnancy with Christian my doctor
told me there was something seriously
wrong with him. The actual phrase
she used was, “incompatible with life.”
Because I would be forty when he was
born, she had recommended extra tests
outside the normal ones. Once she had
all the results on her desk she called
us in and gave us that unthinkable
diagnosis. She recommended that we
6 • Solutions
terminate the pregnancy immediately.
I said, no. So she said, “We’ll see how
long you can carry him.”
The next few weeks and months
were a rollercoaster of emotions
but the most constantly present
ones were heartache and profound
disappointment. I was confused as
well. Why had God allowed me to get
pregnant only to have this little one
die? In my Bible I had underlined this
verse when I found out that I was going
to have a baby, “Even strong young lions
sometimes go hungry, but those who
“
What is still standing
when everything else is gone? I
found the answer on my knees
and through my tears.