I ask: how should one deal with disappointment and challenges?
How should one respond to let-downs?
Everyone has gone through phases in their lives, facing disappointments, cancellations, no-shows, and last-minute changes.
It’s not a new phenomenon: everyone has their way of handling challenges. Some ways are good, others, not so much. The fact remains, however, is that we all have to face it … right?
So, how would you deal with it if you were following the guidance of the Holy Spirit? How would He navigate you through obstacles that are hurled your way with no warning?
The Day Has Started
This morning, I prayed confidently, asking God to direct me on how to handle some of my students. I asked for strength, grace, and compassion. I also prayed for peace and patience with the intent that the day would go smoothly.
In some ways, it did start off well.
Then, a major disruption to my day occurred. It was a change bound to knock me off my feet. As I sat at my laptop making edits to a test I planned to send to my HOD (Head of Department) in the next 10 minutes, I got a disturbing message.
The deadline to submit the test draft had passed.
The problem was that I wasn’t aware of a deadline. I called, begging to send in the test, knowing that this was the only way I could boost my students’ scores. On the verge of giving up, I hung up the phone, teary-eyed and defeated.
The HOD had it hard in the last few weeks of the term, but I wasn’t ready to give up. Not yet and not like this.
Even with my determination, I was angry. I was angry at the HOD for burdening me with her problems, blaming me for not submitting the draft in time, and making it seem as if I was the issue. I was angry at God for not answering my prayer for a smooth day.
I was angry at the department for being so disorganized. I was angry at the school for putting me in a situation for which I had no training. I was angry at myself for not meeting a deadline I didn’t know about, for waiting too long.
And … I had to get away. I needed clarity.
The Daniel Directive
The time I pulled away gave me some insight. During that moment of anger and frustration, the story of Daniel and his friends came to me.
When Daniel and his friends were taken to Babylon, they were recruited to work under the king. Part of their preparation meant they had to eat the king’s meat, but Daniel and his friends refused, as their religion prohibited eating meat sacrificed to foreign gods.
While the king’s workers urged Daniel to comply, Daniel and his friends instead offered a solution. Knowing that the king mostly desired that his new recruits were fit to work with him, the young Hebrew boys opted to eat vegetables and water instead, stating that if the diet was unsatisfactory, then they would relent and eat the king’s meat.
The recruiter was hesitant, but he allowed the Hebrew boys the space they needed, and in the end, the young boys were considered the fittest of all the new recruits the king had.
Returning with Clarity
The instruction came to me:
“Go back to school. Instead of giving this as an end-of-term assignment, ask to give this as a non-graded assignment and use it to see how the students fare. If they do well and can bring their grades up, you can argue a case to have it entered in as a final score.”
I returned to the school with a new form of hope. During this encounter, these verses came to mind:
“In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33
“With patience a ruler may be persuaded, and a soft tongue will break a bone.”
Proverbs 25:15
The saying goes that if you pray for patience, God will give you challenges to strengthen your heart. If you ask for peace, He’ll give you a storm. It’s in the midst of these trials that our patience and peace would be tested.
Ecclesiastes says this
The end of a matter is better than its beginning,
and patience is better than pride.
Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit,
for anger resides in the lap of fools.Ecclesiastes 7:8-9
The Update: Many Years Later (February 25, 2026)
After re-reading this post, I realize I hadn’t given an update on how this all panned out.
Firstly, I was able to give my students the end-of-term test as a multiple-choice test, which was very beneficial for them. All of them passed the test (I think the lowest grade was probably a B).
These particular students had struggled a lot throughout the term, and I knew they needed that extra boost of confidence. Most of them were extremely delighted to see their first ‘A’ after countless failing grades.
They aren’t in Grade 7 anymore. They all moved up (most did not repeat a grade, and a few transferred out of the school).
I’m also happy that these same students received the support they needed through IPs and IEPs, and I was able to be part of that journey for some of them as well.
As I write this, I’m no longer working at the school, but I know that these students and I formed an irreplaceable bond, and I pray that they continue to grow and receive the support they need.
Signed,
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