Expectations

Annual summer birthday purchase…The katespade planner!

My new planner gave me quite a jolt. It says “2018” on it. The nerve of that thing. Kidding aside, this brings up feelings of time slipping through my fingers, goals not yet attained and half the year behind me that looks very different than anything that was planned.

What about you? Has life thrown curve balls and kinks in your way? I would venture to say that this year (and every year prior and every year to come) has been about the unexpected.

I have all these expectations, especially now as a Christian woman in my early 40’s. I expect all kinds of things from God, from life, from other people. We all do, I’m sure! The problem with that way of thinking is that I can get stuck in what I expected to happen and when it doesn’t, out the window goes joy, peace and happiness.

What is interesting about this cycle of unmet expectations followed by my negative emotions is that ruined plans have always led to something better. Always.

So why the bratty attitude? People let me down. I let them down. Things break. Things get replaced. I make mistakes. You make mistakes. Bank account is full. Bank account is empty. There are good hair days and bad hair days. Heartbreaking times and heart soaring times.

I was scrolling through Facebook this morning and several people posted this verse:

“And we know all things work together for good to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

This is the truth. I know it to be truth, but I still react and respond to what I see and my emotions can take over. I think that’s all very normal and human though. Maybe expectations aren’t the problem. Maybe it’s where we are placing those expectations.

Expect God to be faithful because He is. Expect that we don’t have the best plans because only He does. Expect it will be hard because it is. Expect it will be worth it because He promised.

Happy Monday, peeps. Today is a new day!

With all my heart,

Sonia