Tag: expectations

Hope for the World

Published on by amylinneaLeave a comment

And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you. Psalm 39:7

Christmas means hope.

Hope for our redemption.

Without Christmas, we have no hope.

No hope for heaven as mere Gentiles.

And the Jewish law was incredibly hard to keep perfectly.

Christmas is our celebration of Jesus’ birth.

His birth ushered in a new era of hope.

Hope for our broken world.

When Jesus came, the world was steeped within itself.

The Jewish people were waiting for the Messiah.

But when He came, many did not believe.

In fact, they crucified Him as an imposter.

He didn’t look like what they expected.

What has God done in your life?

When He answers your prayers, does it look like what you expected?

Is it possibly different than you thought?

Ever feel convinced your answer isn’t God since it looks different?

Keep pursuing Him.

God’s heart poured out on Christmas Day when His Son was born.

His Son, Jesus, was born for you and for me.

He was born to fill the world with the hope of salvation.

And God’s answer to the world looked different than what His people expected.

What type of hope do you need this Christmas season?

Is it material?

Relational?

Physical?

Jesus came to bring Himself into the world.

He came to sever the barrier between God and His people.

He came to crush the neck of Satan.

And He did all of that and more.

Look upon the baby Jesus, sleeping in the manger.

Think about the hope we now have because of Him.

Thank our Father for sending Jesus, keeping us in His thoughts.

God wants the very best for you.

The very best was sending His only Son.

Jesus is simply everything.

Because of Him, we have hope for all things.

Which is everything.

Thank you, God, for pursuing us.

We are incredibly grateful and forever in debt.

May we remember Your hope that spilled at Christmas.

May we remember Your defeat of Satan as you rose from the dead.

And may we always keep You close within our hearts.

Photos by Max Beck, Tanner Mardis, Greyson Joralemon, Yannick Pulver, Inbal Malca, & Sebastian Fröhlich on Unsplash

Expectations

Published on by amylinneaLeave a comment

Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense. Proverbs 19:11

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Why live with chips?

Not talking about the potato or tortilla kind.

Chips on your shoulders.

Offense.

Irritation.

Failed expectations of life or others.

Why carry those around?

Shedding doom and gloom with every step?

Because you have a right.

You were wronged.

According to your expectation, you need some sort of justice.

And you’ll keep that chip on your shoulder until your wrong has been righted.

At least that’s what you think.

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Is your wrong justified?

Maybe.

Possibly even definately.

But don’t move your unmet expectations into sin.

Because then YOU’RE in the wrong.

Sinning while offended looks like many things.

Silent treatment.

Snarky comments.

Eye rolling.

Refusing to participate in activities.

Withdrawing.

Or full fledged anger.

Those, my friends, are sin.

When you are wronged, your expectations are at fault.

If someone failed to meet your expected needs, forgive.

If someone forgets an important date, forgive.

If heated words are offered in exchange for your questions, forgive.

When you allow God to free you from keeping the offense, you are set free.

Literally.

The feeling of freedom far surpasses the prison of someone’s offense.

Live within the forgivness of God.

Extend your grace from God to others.

Ask God to solve your situations of doubt.

Instead of living in fantasy land of perfectly fulfilled expectations, live in the grace of God.

Aligning your expectations to God’s instead.

God will ALWAYS meet your expectations of Him.

And in fact, He’ll far surpass them.

Everytime.

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Photos by Dawid Zawiła and Ian Schneider on Unsplash

Anticipation or Expectation

Published on by amylinnea1 Comment

The hope of the righteous brings joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish. Proverbs 10:28

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Life is full of promise.

Possibilities are brimming at every turn.

Are you cheerfully anticipating God to work in your life, delivering His plan for your days?

Or are you planning things yourself and expecting God to work your plan?

One surrenders, the other demands.

Works in other relationships too, not just under God.

How bout your spouse?

Are you cheerfully anticipating love or blessings whenever they happily fall into your lap, or do you have impossibly high expectations your spouse will continually fail to reach?

Do you expect your spouse to celebrate you in a certain way, or do you allow them the freedom to bless you from their heart in their own way?

How much do you expect your girlfriends to do for you?

Or do you have the attitude of cheerful anticipation void of your measure?

As parents, we must have certain behavior expectations of our children.

That’s our called and sacred duty.

But speaking of giving love, children are notoriously low on the giving scale as they creep up in years.

Are you cheerfully anticipating their love in their time, or do you hold them to high expectations certain to fail your standards of showing love?

There’s a big difference.

It’s grace vs legalism.

Unselfish vs selfish.

Peace vs strife.

When we hold God, our loved ones, our friends, or anything in our life to our own expectation, we will be disappointed.

Guaranteed.

100%

But if we allow God to bless us when we least expect it, our hearts will brim over with joy.

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I remember praying about my birthday a few years back.

It was the first one as a “divorced” woman.

I prayed to have zero expectations, to be pleasantly surprised with each little detail God provided.

The first child to greet me at school loudly proclaimed, “Happy Birthday!”

Then she ran over for a hug.

I walked into my classroom and the sweetest boy began serenading me, personally singing the entire Happy Birthday song in his precious soft voice.

Be cheerfully expectant.

Anticipatorious as my father would say.

Your days will be peaceful, your heart will be filled with love, and your mind will stay at rest.

And your relationships will thrive.

Ahhh, now that’s the life.

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