Much can be said about expectations. They bring delight, but oh the disappointment when they are not met!
A few years ago, my husband Bill and I noticed that the pounds that had crept up on us. You know – those pounds that make you uncomfortable in some of your good clothes. So with summer coming, we stepped up our program, working out at the gym three early mornings a week, and walking another two to three mornings. We licked the spoon on the last bowl of ice cream and emptied the bread basket. Finally in a few weeks, the workouts and the food deprivation (maybe “deprivation” is a bit strong) proved to be worth it. We reached our goals. Of course, Bill reached his three weeks before I did. Expectations finally met.
Then came the evening when Bill entered the studio where I was comfortably seated in my favorite fat chair, and he said, “OK, Phyllis, I have a surprise for you. You’ve worked so hard to get off those pounds, and you finally did it. So I have something to show you how proud I am of you.”
Oh . . . expectations again??? He asked me to stand up and close my eyes and hold my hands out. I envisioned a banana split, a new red dress, a lovely perfume . . . more expectations. But then I felt something like terry cloth in my hands – so maybe it’s a new beach towel and swimsuit.
Bill said, “Get ready, it’s heavy.”
Expectations again!! It WAS heavy and COLD.
“Okay, you can look!”
I opened my eyes to see a frozen ten-pound turkey in my hands. I gasped.
Bill read the surprise on my face and immediately said, “See this is what you’ve taken off your body. Aren’t you glad? Don’t you feel good about yourself?”
My shock quickly turned to laughter. I am grateful to have such a creative and romantic husband. He’s full of surprises. My expectations were not met, and I’m so glad. Why if he had given me a new red dress or a banana split, I wouldn’t have this story to tell.
Christmas is like that – God stepping down out of heaven as a baby —a surprising event that changed human history forever. Who would ever have expected that? He came when we didn’t even have expectations. And His coming gave us the best story we’re still telling two thousand years later because it’s the best news ever. Our Heavenly Father is still creative and full of surprises that go beyond our expectations. Let us delight in the unexpected –His surprises surpass our expectations.
