What are you expecting this Christmas? Maybe a diamond? Maybe a new car? Maybe a long awaited vacation? Maybe you're expecting a basket of food from a local church? Maybe you're expecting to find a new job? Maybe you're expecting to be sitting in a homeless shelter? Maybe you're expecting nothing? After all if you expect nothing and get nothing you won't have another year filled with disappointments.
Expectations this time of year can be overwhelming and exciting. It's a time for dreams to come true and wishes to be granted. Children make their wish list and teenagers dream big dreams and adults, well we know better than to expect anything. It can be a tough time for many people. Financial struggles and medical issues can drive many of us to expect nothing. Maybe you have been so disappointed in the past that you never expect anything good to ever happen to you. Maybe you've given up on ever expecting.
Listen I understand life is hard sometimes. In fact sometimes life is downright brutal sometimes but never, and I mean never stop expecting. When we stop expecting, we stop dreaming and we stop praying. Sure we may not always get what we expect to get, but sometimes that's okay. Expecting something good to come your way is not offensive to God. He wants us to expect good things to happen to us and for us, even or should I say especially during a storm. I know that is the hardest time to expect anything from anyone, but that is when God does the most good, if we let Him, if we expect Him to.
So many of us walk around with a cloud of doom and gloom hanging over our heads. We complain and whine, moan and groan, we gripe and throw pity parties. We walk around with our head hanging down and a "woo is me" attitude. When we feel like that, when we act like that, that is the time we need to get our expectations back up. We need to start dreaming and praying and expecting God to rescue us. Listen I have been there in the pits with no expectations, no dreams and even no prayers. It was a dark lonely place to be and very depressing. Then God brought me to this verse.
Luke 2:5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.
Mary was 13, pregnant and scared. She couldn't tell anyone what was going on because to be honest they wouldn't have believed her anyway. She was at risk for being stoned and she was the point of gossip everywhere she went. If anyone should have had no expectations it should have been Mary. Pointing fingers and whispers made her feel like a leper. She should have expected more snears, more stares, more whispers and more ridicule. What good could she expect from this storm she was facing?
Mary was expecting the Son of God! Even in the midst of all the negative junk that was happening to her, she was expecting to give birth to the Savior of the world. She kept her expectations focused on God. She expected Him to be with her and help her, which He did. She expected God to work it all out for her good, which He did. She expected to look into her babies eyes and see the face of God, which she did. Imagine that!
Expectations are a risk, We risk facing disappointments, but on the other hand if we expect nothing, we lose out on the possibilities of what could have been if we had kept expecting the best. So what are you expecting this Christmas? Me? I am expecting to find my Savior Jesus Christ invading my heart once again.
Lord, help us to keep our expectations focused on you. Help us to keep expecting your best. May my heart once again be filled with the expectation of the amazing love you gave us that first Christmas Day, in Jesus name I pray, amen!
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