Ever lost something that's really important to you? I'm not talking about a phone or even a job. I'm talking about something really important, like a child or a marriage. I've lost something like that. What's worse, my most passionate and sincere efforts to keep it from happening totally failed. I didn't cause it, but I did everything in my power (at least from my perspective) to stop it. And all my effort resulted in a big fat disappointment and a whole heap of pain.

How do we deal with significant failure or loss, especially when infidelity has already caused us so much pain? Odds are, if you're reading this, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Anyone who's really screwed up their marriage (or found themselves in a state of betrayal) and then discovered how powerless they were to stop the resulting devastation, knows exactly how it feels. Our life and dreams can be radically altered by our decisions and by the decisions of others!

Some of My Own Disappointment

Several years ago, as I sat in my car, wallowing in pain and self-pity, I began to pray. I know that some of you may not necessarily subscribe to God, faith, or any kind of religion, and I want you to know I completely respect that. You won't receive any judgment or condemnation here. Even if you do not have a strong personal faith, as you’ve been searching for real answers and relief from your pain, perhaps you’ve found yourself saying similar prayers.

For me, as I sat crying in my car that day, I began to question God's plan..."God what are you doing? Why don't you do something? Why are you letting this happen? What did I do wrong?" Much to my chagrin, he answered, "Life's hard. Suffering, pain, and loss are inevitable, but bitter disappointment is optional." That caught me off guard, and I began to ponder the meaning.

Tragedy's Role in Our Lives

In his book, Nicholas Nickleby, Charles Dickens views suffering in a similar way: "In every life, no matter how full or empty one's purse, there is tragedy. It is the one promise life always fulfills. Thus, happiness is a gift and the trick is not to expect it, but to delight in it when it comes. And to add to other people's store of it."¹

I fully agree, but does that mean I can't be disappointed? I get it; life's hard and I'm most certainly not in control. But how does that understanding keep me from angry, bitter disappointment?

I no longer have the innocence of childhood. I've lived long enough to know that I truly believe I'm an accomplice in the evil which rocks my world. But that knowledge doesn't lessen the pain and disappointment created by the slings and arrows of this world, especially those thrown by betrayal itself.

What am I to do with the loss and the hurt I feel from the infidelity?

Enticed to Control

In Coming Home to Your True Self, Albert Haase tells the story of a 16-year-old girl who was dying of ALS. He asked her, "Is it hard to die?"

"Not really," she replied instantly, "the suffering of the past year has forced me to let go of so many things – my privacy, the ability to go to the bathroom alone, the ability to feed myself and change the television channel. It seems like every day I'm challenged to let go of something else. So I've gotten really good at letting go and surrendering to the present moment. I suspect when death comes it's going to be another moment to let go and surrender. So I don't think it will be hard to die. I suspect it will come quite naturally to me."²

We can't control life's circumstances, but we can control our attitude toward life. We determine how we see it.

It's a matter of how I perceive the situation.

Let's say, for instance, that I continue to be obsessed with having to control, manage, or manipulate life, others, and/or even God, to make things turn out according to my plan. With that attitude, when things don't turn out as I deem best, there will always be disappointment, if not anger and bitterness.

If, on the other hand, I let God (or for those of you who do not subscribe to faith, insert the word Good) define the situation rather than letting the situation define God/Goodness. That’s when I’m able to recognize there's a loving God who has much better vision than me and is working all things out for good.

If I humbly surrender to His will, then I can find peace. If I think I know how things should be and spend all my time trying to control outcomes, then I'll be bitterly disappointed when things don't turn out like I want. In marriage, I'll find myself incredibly frustrated at my inability to get my spouse to conduct herself the way I think she should, especially during the stressful season of infidelity recovery.

I May Not Know What's Best

We've got to quit falling for the oldest deception in the book: that we know more than God about what's best for our life. The author of Genesis showed this as the root of the problem. In the story of the fall of man from Genesis, chapter 3, the devil raised the question to Adam and Eve of whether or not God was really looking out for their best interest. The devil then told Adam and Even that they can be in control and decide what is good or bad.

The problem here is that we're not God. We may think we know what's good or bad or how things need to turn out, but do we really? Instead, we need to trust that there is a God, (or power bigger than ourselves) and it's not you or me! Any amount of control we try to hang onto is not sovereign.

Our challenge is to let go and surrender to the present moment—to accept our current reality rather than railing against all the things we cannot change. Please don't misunderstand. I'm not saying that you should "suck it up," "give it to God," or "get over it," not by a long shot. When recovering from infidelity, ignoring the pain will not work. We all have choices to make and a journey to travel.

It's an outright "radical acceptance" that we need in order to loosen our grip on the outcome and to trust the process. If you subscribe to faith, it's time to trust God and stop forcing life to work on your terms. Trust that God (and/or the process you're utilizing) will work things out according to plan and for your eventual good, even if the events surrounding your life right now seem out of control and senseless.

If you don't subscribe to faith, maybe it's time to realize your own weakness and inability to control all of life. It’s time to realize that control is an illusion and humble yourself. Find expert help and utilize a process bigger and wiser than your own vision or understanding. There's freedom in that mindset, friends, I promise.

If you are drowning in disappointment and can't see how releasing control is essential to gaining freedom, consider becoming a part of our Harboring Hope course for betrayed spouses. Owning your own recovery and letting go of the things you can't control are the first steps to freedom.