Learning From Disappointment

I get disappointed a lot...and by a lot I mean a lot. Basically anything that doesn't seem to go "my way", is a disappointment to me. It's something I'm working on, and so this is a post that I have been adding to for the past few months, just waiting for the words to come across the way I wanted them to. 

Disappointment isn't always a bad thing. I've been disappointed before when someone said they could do something, but then the plans fell through.
It happens sometimes, and that's okay. But how we respond to disappointment is important, and we can't dwell on our disappointments.
I get really disappointed about unrealistic things. I'll get disappointed if something didn't happen just the way I wanted it to or thought it was going to go. One of the things I need to let go of is wanting to be in control of EVERYTHING. I even try to manipulate situations to get what I want sometimes, when sometimes it's just best to let it happen itself. As a result, I get disappointed when my expectations aren't met.
So, to sum things up, unrealistic expectations, manipulation and trying to control situations equal disappointment. 
To overcome disappointments, we must first give up the want to control our lives.
Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." 
Job 12:10 says, "In His hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind."  
It's hard to see God's plan and control in our lives sometimes, but faith is "confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we cannot see." (Hebrews 11:1) We must trust that God is going to do what is best, but that's rarely easy.
When we say that we surrender everything to the Lord, control is one of the things that can be hard to let go of.
There will be countless times where disappointment is just part of life and it's okay. Obviously even the best things in life aren't always going to work out, but we have to learn how to learn from those disappointments.
When we feel disappointed or let down, we must remind ourselves that God is control, that he has our best interest in mind, and that no matter what, God is the only thing that we need for complete happiness and joy. It's God's character that we must look at in situations like this. We must look at His sovereignty, power and grace in our lives.
It's hard to adapt this mindset, but it is the only way that we can find freedom from disappointments and for the desire to control the outcomes of everything to go away.
I think a lot of times we tend to try to find joy in our circumstances and the situations that occur around us. Finding joy and being happy is not bad, but when we aren't finding our true joy in Christ, that can lead to be disappointed over and over again.

I wrote most of this post back in February and then a few days later I had a really big disappointment. Because of snow, our Church canceled all of it's services, along with our youth group's Superbowl party. I was so bummed and I had to learn to be joyful despite the disappointment!
It can be really hard to let go of your disappointments, and to surrender them to the one who has everything planned out.
When things don't go the way I had imagined sometimes I tend to be disappointed...and sometimes it just seems impossible to let go of those disappointments and unrealistic expectations. It's something that God is working on in my life.
What do you do when disappointments come into your life? 
Are your disappointments sometimes a result of unrealistic expectations just like mine?
And of course, disappointments are okay, and a lot of times it isn't our fault. But I am thankful that the Lord grows us through them, just as he grows us through everyday experiences that are part of life.