Last weekend I had the pleasure of meeting a woman who completed her MBA. Having an MBA in our day and time seems to be common place, so why am I writing about this woman that I will call Sharon?

What is special about Sharon is not the fact that she has a master’s degree. In fact, she has not been able to find work in her field since she completed her MBA last year. What impresses me about her is how she has moved through her life's disappointments. When I met her, she was selling her specialty soaps at a small gathering of a dozen people.

When Sharon graduated with her degree in 2009, she faced the toughest job market in decades. Hemmed in by very tight finances, she had to get creative. She began to learn how to make soaps to sell them online and at gatherings like the spiritual retreat where she and I met.

In just a few hours together, I learned so much about moving through life's disappointments that I feel a responsibility to share these lessons with all of you.

·Instead of seeing herself as a victim of circumstances, she took action to create a solution for herself. She found the solution by tapping into her creativity.

·She is not afraid to take on something new and challenging. Soap making is a new skill to her. She took the time to research it and does an outstanding job of making attractive and beautiful bars of custom made soaps. When circumstances outside force her down, she looks inside to move herself out and up.

·She sells each bar of soap for five dollars. For someone with a master’s degree, that sounds almost humiliating to most people. But she is not too proud to earn five dollars for the handiwork that she does. In times of adversity, a little humility can go a long way. Each of those five dollar bills will add up to pay her bills.

·A missionary contact has arranged for her to go to the Ukraine to teach the local women to make soaps so they can become self-reliant. For her this is not an opportunity to make money, it is an opportunity to serve others. In spite of her own difficult circumstances, she has not forgotten to serve those who are needy.

What have been some significant disappointments in your life? How might you use creativity to craft a solution for yourself? To what extent will humility help you move through your disappointments? How can you incorporate service to others when you are facing difficult circumstances?

Please visit me at www.theresaipfroehlich.com