Great Expectations For 2022

Great Expectations

Great Expectations For 2022

In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.”

Psalm 5:3

Dear Kids,

I have always struggled with disappointment when faced with unmet expectations. If you are like me you plan out how you would like things to go and then work hard to make them happen. But so often my unrealistic dreams fall flat never reaching the heights of my anticipation. These disappointments bring me to an uncomfortable place of despondency. So this year I have decided to make some changes. Rather than plan out how I think things should go, I am going to give the Lord my dreams and expectantly wait on Him to fulfill them in His way and time. This, I know, will produce joy and fulfillment.

Unmet Expectations

It was December 1998, and I was excited for the upcoming holidays. Nathan, the fourth child was eighteen months old and the others ranged in age from six to three years old. I just knew this holiday would be the best one ever.  I dreamed of Christmas Eve snuggling by the fire, toasty and warm, reading together as a family while sipping steaming cups of hot chocolate.

The day arrived and we bundled everyone up to attend a Christmas Eve service. I set out the new Christmas pajamas and the hot chocolate fixings and mugs, so we could enjoy our special family time when we got home from the service. My anticipation of our cozy event pushed me through the struggle of getting four young children ready for church, herding them to the car in the frigid air, and buckling them all into car seats. The crackling fire in the buck stove encouraged me that in only an hour we would be home again enraptured in our family activity.

Well, we arrived home and even before I could get the kids into their new jammies, two of them were fighting, the other was complaining, Nathan had fallen asleep, and I had a headache and jangled nerves. Dad and I finally decided to hang it all up and put everybody to bed. So much for my dreamy expectations!

Focus Your Expectations on the Lord

Twenty-five years later I still struggle with faulty expectations. This Christmas I had looked forward to the family being together again for the first time in a few years. But COVID kept some away and in the midst of the celebration my oven decided to quit, creating a quandary about how to bake the traditional cinnamon rolls. Everything worked out, but we had to rearrange our plans and do things differently than I had hoped.

Over the years I have had many larger dreams fail to come to fruition the way I wanted, and I have spent many days wallowing in sadness for things I couldn’t control. So this year, in 2022, I have decided that one of my New Year’s resolutions is to relinquish my need to plan every detail of my life. Instead I want to, like the Psalmist, lay my requests before the Lord every morning in prayer and leave the results with Him. When my expectations are focused on the Lord I know I will never be disappointed.

Expectantly Wait on the Lord in 2022

Do you have some unfulfilled dreams that are weighing you down? Then why don’t you join me in my New Year’s resolution? Expectantly wait on the Lord in prayer each morning and He will replace the disappointment with joy and fulfillment!

Love,

Mama

Click here for more encouragement for mothers with unmet expectations.

Psalm 5

2 Comments

  1. Nathan B on January 7, 2022 at 7:30 AM

    Mama:

    Thanks for the encouragement this morning! It’s always sad when things don’t work out the way we expect. When things are going wrong, it can be hard to praise and trust God, but in retrospect you can often see how God used that time in your life to strengthen your faith!

    • Sandy on January 10, 2022 at 10:31 AM

      Yes, looking back it is much easier to see the hand of God on our lives. We walk by faith, not by sight!!!

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Hi, I'm Sandy! 

I write inspirational letters based on the Bible that share words of hope, encouragement, truth, and healing to my children and anyone else who longs for a mama's touch.

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