expectantly

One thing I've definitely learned this past year is that life is full of disappointments. No matter how hard I try not to, I will always have expectations and make assumptions that are incorrect.  Consequently, there will always be those things which I eagerly anticipate, yet in reality they just turn out to disappoint me. As wonderful as high expectations are, I've come to realize that they won't always be met.

Sometimes, I have high expectations for myself.

I expect to get good grades, to get along with those around me, to get in better shape, to prioritize my schedule, to succeed in things I attempt, to be a good friend, to make the right decisions, to respect my parents, to be bold and courageous, to encourage those around me, to grow in my relationship with God and to faithfully follow Christ. But frankly, I fall short of my expectations. Often. I get frustrated when I fail and discouraged when my good intentions fall through. Sometimes, I disappoint myself.

Sometimes, I have high expectations for others.

I expect others to be considerate, to be friendly, to understand my feelings, to show compassion, to include others in their activities, to give their best effort, to be honest, and to be faithful and keep their promises. Unfortunately, people fall short of my expectations too. People are sinners just like I am. Because no one is perfect, including myself, sometimes people disappoint me.

In a world where people fail me or betray me, and where my shortcomings consistently disappoint me, it's easy to lower my expectations and let my standards down. It's safer to expect less when expecting more means risking the chance of disappointment.

But unlike imperfect human beings who constantly fail and fall short, God never falls short; in fact, he consistently exceeds any expectations we could ever have for him! In the midst of my failings and disappointments, Ephesians 3:20-21 is full of hope and anticipation: "him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." God is faithful, he does not fail. We should never put limitations on what God can do. God desires to magnify himself and glorify his name, and he will always succeed in what he does. Although we may not always know God's purpose or intentions, we can always expect that they are greater than we could ever ask for or imagine! 

 Always, we should expect great things of God.

This new year, 2013, you and I both have goals, expectations for what this year holds and what it will be like. While there are sure to be joys and successes, there are certain to be disappointments as well. However, no matter the circumstances, no matter the situation, let's make this a year where we expect great things of God. Let's not put limits on what he can do in our lives and in the lives around us. God doesn't always move like we expect him to, but he certainly never disappoints. Don't you think he would delight in doing far more abundantly than anything we could ask or think this year?!

 A new season, a new year, and a faithful God.

Lord, we wait expectantly.

Time and Twenty-Twelve

It never speeds up. It never slows down. Time is constant: steadily constraining our lives in this world, yet unceasingly bringing us closer to the end.


To us, time is just a measurement—it passes in minutes, hours, days, and years; but we live day to day subconscious of its passing. To us, time is eternal—it's all we have ever known; but we don't often think about the fact that we are only given a short allotment of it. Forgetting its brevity, we readily spend our time on meaninglessness pastimes, using it on whatever seems best at the moment. But are our lives to be spent away moment by moment? Will we use our time with a "present" purpose only? When we live for the "here and now," we forget that time had a beginning, and it will one day have an end. We forget that time is precious.


Of course, it's much more pleasant to live as if we had "all the time in the world." We dream; we scheme; we plan our lives away because we don't want to admit that we have no control over our lives at all. Yet, we are surprised when things don't work out like we'd planned them; we complain when we don't have "enough" time. Although time never changes, it always seems to "fly by" faster than we expected it to.


Time is temporary, limited to this earth. Even so, it is so easy to view our lives in the span and sequence of time alone. We see our past as years gone by and our futures as simply more years to come. It's the mentality of "this year is gone and over, but—hey!—I'll have next year!" But God says, "You do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14). We can't count on tomorrow, or next week, or next year. 


But, what if our lives were about more than...our lives? What if we were created for a greater purpose that totally exceeds the boundaries of time? What if the little bit of time we have could have eternal significance?


I want to challenge you (and myself!) to view this new year like you've never viewed it before. Although there's nothing wrong with New Year's resolutions (in fact, they're great), I don't want to get so caught up with "right now" that I completely miss the eternal perspective on my life. Today is more than today. Next year is more than next year. Our lives were created to have an eternal impact!


So let's make our resolutions; let's look forward to a fresh start. But let's keep in mind that 2012 is more than eating right, reading more books, getting better grades, losing weight, or whatever resolutions you may have. 2012 is a year of purpose. God put you in this world in this decade for a purpose! Let's use our time on stuff that really matters, on things that will count in the end. 


If your life purpose exceeds the limitations of time, then it doesn't matter when it ends. What matters is how it counts.

Lord, teach me to number my days,

That I may gain a heart of wisdom.

Psalm 90:12

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Teach me to number my days...

At some point in my life I guess I'll have to stop being so surprised at how fast the year goes by! (And from what I hear, the older you get, the faster it seems.) Oh. My. I was just getting used to writing "2010" on all of my school papers. So... is it just me, or does the new year mess up your dates too?  *grins*

I am convinced that life is like a freight train going downhill: it seems to start out slow in the beginning; but then it picks up speed as it goes along, getting faster and faster! Then all of a sudden, the ride is over.

Because the new year comes so quickly, it reminds me of how short life on this earth is. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes (according to James 4:14). I think that so often we get so caught up in life that we forget that it's going to end. And since we don't know for sure when our lives will end, we just take it for granted that we have plenty of time. But our time is short.

What if you knew that 2011 would be your last year to live - you only had 12 months left.... Would you live it differently than any other year? Some people might do the things they've always dreamed of doing, like sky diving, getting tickets to the Super Bowl, touring France, recording an album, or even [insert your own life dream here]. But if you believed what the Bible said, you'd probably strive to do things that are of eternal value. (Of course, it's just plain sense to plan for the future, but there's a lot to be gained by living like your days are numbered.)

New Year's is filled with expectations, resolutions, and goals - all of which are very helpful. But more important than New Year's resolutions is how you actually live. Here's some great ways you can make 2011 count for eternity:

• Begin praying that God will use this year to equip and prepare you for His purpose for your life.
• Find a local Christian ministry where you can volunteer and invest your time - even it's only once a month.
• READ. It challenges your worldview and "expands your horizons." Go to my FAVES page for some good ones to start with. =)
• If you've never studied in-depth a book of the Bible, this year would be a great year to do it! I studied Philippians this past semester and I'm still amazed at how much I've gained from it!
• - Find a way to specifically serve someone each month and record what you do and learn in a journal. Jesus came to earth to serve, so it should be important to us too!

Those are just a few. There are SO many other ways to make your year purposeful. What are some of your ideas? What are some of your goals this year?

 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12)