Trusting God Through Disappointment

There’s a quiet comfort in the movie It’s a Wonderful Life. I watch it every year as a reminder that even when life feels like it’s falling apart, God is often working behind the scenes in ways I can’t yet understand. Today, during my Bible study and journaling, I was reminded of this truth once again: “You don’t see the full picture—but God does.”

It made me pause and reflect. Why did I meet the men I did back in 2018? Why did those relationships, each holding so much hope at the beginning, end in confusion, betrayal, or loss?

Sometimes, Clarity Hurts Before It Heals

When I think about those relationships, I see moments of affection, of promise, of potential. I also see inconsistency, deception, and heartbreak. Each man represented something I was still healing from or still hoping for. At the time, I couldn’t make sense of why things kept falling apart. But in hindsight, I realize: God was allowing me to see what wasn’t meant for me so I could recognize what is.

Not Everyone Is Meant to Stay

Some people enter our lives to teach us about trust, resilience, and discernment. God doesn’t waste any experience. What felt like wasted time was really wisdom gained. What felt like rejection was divine redirection. What felt like betrayal became the birthplace of boundaries.

I was learning to:

• Trust my instincts and ask the hard questions.
• Stop over-giving to prove my worth.
• Recognize when someone’s “potential” was just a mirage.
• Release the need to fix people who didn’t want to be whole.

This Was Preparation, Not Punishment

It’s tempting to look back and wonder what was wrong with me—why I kept ending up in situations that hurt. But God has reminded me: this was never about punishment. This was about preparation. I am being shaped into someone who doesn’t settle, who doesn’t shrink, and who no longer silences her voice to keep peace.

Even the heartache had purpose.

A Bigger Picture, Still Unfolding

Like George Bailey, I couldn’t see how it was all connected until I stepped back. God sees the whole canvas. While I was trying to hold onto relationships that couldn’t hold me, He was already preparing a future that didn’t require me to beg to be loved.

And now I understand: healing isn’t just about forgetting the past. It’s about growing wiser because of it. It’s about saying, “That hurt me, but it didn’t ruin me.”

To the Single Mom Still Wondering Why

If you’re in that place right now—confused, heartbroken, wondering why love keeps slipping through your fingers—this is for you:

• You are not too late.
• You are not unworthy.
• You are not forgotten.

God is writing a story, and these pages may not be pretty, but they are necessary. The ending is still unfolding.

Journal Prompt for the Week:

What might God have been protecting me from by allowing certain people to leave? What have I gained—strength, wisdom, peace—that I didn’t have in 2018?

You don’t see the full picture. But one day, you will. Until then, trust the process.