Man Proposes, God Disposes
By Shiva
@Shiva49 (28366)
Singapore
June 17, 2016 10:09am CST
One of the sayings that have comforted me all my life is – Man proposes, God disposes.
It is so apt and has served to soothe my hurts and disappointments.
At a deeper level, it has proved what I end up with is better than what I had in mind confirming my belief in a higher power guiding us to the right path. We get what we deserve but not what we aspire for. I make the best use of what is given and then press on further.
I have another philosophy to comfort me: Do my best and accept the fruits of my endeavors in good grace. I lend my shoulder to the giant wheel of creation and it matters too, at least to me!
How do you overcome your disappointments, reverses in life?
Image from Wikimedia
6 people like this
6 responses
@Sharon38 (1912)
• Jamaica
17 Jun 16
I encourage my self with the scripture that says that all things work together for good to them that love God who are the called according to his purpose in Christ Jesus. SO whatever the situation good or bad I know that there is a lesson to be learnt and I learn it and move on. Disappointments make us look at ourselves and see what we do wrong and correct it so that we can succeed the next time and if you do that and do not succeed then its not our time as yet.
The song I have been through enough to know He'll be enough for me is encouraging too. He has come thru so many times and that sets my mind at ease for good and I will stake my very life that He is gonna take care for me cause I;ve been thru enough to know that He's good enough for me.
I cry sometimes but I always talk to God.
3 people like this
@Shiva49 (28366)
• Singapore
17 Jun 16
Nice take on life reflecting your strong belief.
Nothing is wasted and all experiences go to make who we are.
We are guided by a higher force as is the entire creative process.
No one will be left behind and that soothes us in our roller coaster ride here - siva
2 people like this
@Blue_bubble (697)
• Raipur, India
17 Jun 16
I am still struggling with overcoming the disappointments. May be with time I'll learn to handle them.
But in my limited experience of life what I have learned is to stop expecting. Expectations are the real culprit.
Do your job whole heartedly but never expect anything in the form of results.
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@Blue_bubble (697)
• Raipur, India
17 Jun 16
@Shiva49 But for me expectations are the root cause of all the disappointments in my life. So now I abstain from having them.
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@Shiva49 (28366)
• Singapore
17 Jun 16
@Blue_bubble You need to strike a balance rather than forgoing all expectations - siva
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@SIMPLYD (90717)
• Philippines
20 Jun 16
I think it also similar to the saying "God helps those who help themselves " . We have to show effort also on how a problem can be solved at least . And when God sees that you have exhausted all means to no avail , He will take over and do what he has to do . 
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@innertalks (23734)
• Australia
21 Jun 16
Proverbs, chapter 19, verse 21:
"Man proposes, but God disposes". (Living Bible translation)
Yes, that great verse comes from the Old Testament of the Christian bible, it seems.
But William Shakespeare put it like this, “There is a divinity that shapes our ends, rough-hew them how we will.”
Why do we have disappointments then?
All of life's emotional attachments, be they disappointments or anything else, are built on top of this creativeness of God, and so if we look underneath of them, we will always find a link to the greater process beneath these outer sentiments.
Underneath it all is always love.
On top of love, set up like a rainbow's beams, and which we might travel along any one of these particular beams for a while, are the other parts of love, that we might collectively call our emotions, and we might then label them individually as disappointment, sadness, gladness, happiness, or whatever else we might call them.
The energy behind every emotion though is love. God is love. His love is the only energy behind all else.
@innertalks (23734)
• Australia
21 Jun 16
@Shiva49 That's very well said siva. We become again truly a part of creation, the part we were always meant to be, and our purpose then becomes a part of the greater purpose again then too, rather than us fighting against it all, by our being at loggerheads with everything instead.
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@Shiva49 (28366)
• Singapore
21 Jun 16
@innertalks Yeah, better to understand and align with the process than try to torpedo our boat and make it a misery for us and others.
Having been given a mind to think and decide we should make wise choices - siva
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@Shiva49 (28366)
• Singapore
21 Jun 16
Thanks Steve for putting it in the right perspective.
We are inborn with emotions and anxiety. We are impatient and compare ourselves with others without understanding where they come from, their background.
When we live with love for all every moment, we become truly part of creation - nothing fazes us anymore and we realize everything happens for a purpose - siva
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