Tea Time with Tina

DEALING WITH DISAPPOINTMENT

BY TINA GALLO

Tina Gallo has been in the entertainment industry for over 40 years, she is an award-winning professional actress who “fully immerses herself in the character to bring life into each of her roles.” She is a Stanislavki method-trained actress who studied with the best: Lee Strasberg, Uta Hagen, Stella Adler, Sanford Meisner, and Jack Waltzer. Tina has extensive TV, Film, Commercial, and Theater credits.

She is best known for her past role as DiDi on the soap opera “General Hospital.”

After years of taking a step away from the industry to raise her children, the Lord stirred her heart by calling her to return to the spotlight. Tina’s relaunched career includes a zealous appreciation for the Lord to move in power in the acting world and film industry, and is expectant for how He will move. Tina’s passion has become a God-given purpose; she desires to orchestrate Christsaturated media and beyond.

In between the blessing of acting, Tina teaches acting classes in person and online and is the founder of ‘The Nashville Studio of Method Acting’ in Nashville, TN.

Have you ever been disappointed when God didn’t show up the way you expected? I know that I have. I’ve had dreams crushed, prayers unanswered, and have dealt with what I thought was God’s will unfulfilled - inducing an internal struggle within me to reconcile what I believed was God to the reality of what was happening in my life. It’s frustrating and hurts when you feel that God has let you down. When God doesn’t answer your prayer the way that you hoped for, it’s normal to be disappointed, and it’s okay to wish things had turned out differently. The dictionary defines disappointment as a feeling of sadness or displeasure caused by the non-fulfillment of one’s hopes or expectations.

Admitting that we feel disappointed in God can be hard and uncomfortable. Some might think this disappointment demonstrates a lack of faith or even that it’s “un-Christian.” It’s natural to feel disappointed, frustrated, hurt, and even angry when prayers seem unanswered. But allowing those feelings to fester can decay your faith if not processed properly. The frustration we experience from disappointment is part of learning the true nature of faith. Disappointment and setbacks build patience while creating godly character when embraced. They teach us how to win or lose with grace. Romans 5:35 NIV says, “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” When we have sincere faith in God, our inner spiritual strength helps us cultivate that attitude.

When I’m faced with disappointment, I often reflect on the story in the eleventh chapter of the Gospel of John, when Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus, sent word to Jesus to come quickly because their brother was sick and dying. Jesus was a great friend; they supported Him and His mission. They knew that He had healed numerous other sick people and assumed He would do the same for Lazarus. But Jesus chooses not to go to His friend. He seemed nonchalant about Lazarus’ condition saying, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” John 11:4 NIV Then Lazarus died.

When Jesus finally arrived at where the family lived, Lazarus had been dead for four days. Mary and Martha were mourning the loss of their brother and also dealing with their disappointment in Jesus for failing to meet their expectations. In the Bible, we see that Martha admitted her disappointment to Jesus by saying, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” John 11:21 NIV She believed that if Jesus had acted earlier, the situation would have turned out differently. I’m pretty sure we all have similar feelings when we don’t understand what’s happening. Martha was in pain. She wanted to know why Jesus didn’t come sooner and why He allowed this awful thing to happen.

What I find interesting in this story is that Martha didn’t try to cover up her emotions by saying, “When God closes a door, He opens a window,” or “I know God has a plan, I just don’t know what it is.” Sometimes those cliches are like putting a bandaid over a severed limb, which doesn’t really help. Instead, she admitted her emotional struggle to Jesus. Her mind must have been cluttered with confusion while being gripped with pain over the disappointment that her brother wasn’t healed. Jesus could have raised Lazarus from the dead from anywhere. Instead, He asked to be taken to the specific location of Lazarus’ body so that the people would witness Him speaking to a specific situation. It was at the place of Mary and Martha’s greatest pain where Jesus performed His greatest miracle. I don’t think anyone expected Jesus to raise Lazarus from the dead. Their hope was that He would heal him while he was still alive. Instead, Jesus chose to perform a miracle when His friends were past all hope, teaching them that even when everything seems lost, resurrection is still possible. Just like Martha, sometimes we need to shift our perspective by looking beyond the disappointment and be open to possibilities beyond what we immediately see. “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1 NIV)

Your disappointment is not your destination, and your story isn’t over. The last word hasn’t been spoken over your life. God always forecasts, then fulfills; our faith always calls us forward. We have to be willing to work through our disappointment by releasing how we think God should work things out and embrace how He is working. But ultimately, you have to let go of what you think God should do and start paying attention to what He is doing. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28 NIV)

You can register for online acting classes with Tina! She is accepting all experience levels – including adults, teenagers, and children.

Register at: www.tinagallo.com

Tina also coaches on film sets and travels to other acting schools throughout the southeast region to speak and coach acting workshops, online or in person. Contact Tina if you’re interested in inviting her to lead your next workshop, combining acting and Christian passion and purpose.