Anticipation and Disapointments

As Christmas is here I can't help but be full of anticipation.  I get so excited thinking about my families faces when they open their gifts, the time with family, and of course the Christmas goodies.  But I can also be a very synical person.  I remember as a child, Christmas very rarely lived up to the expectation.  I always felt a little disappointed after all the presents were opened.  To this day, I have to take my tree down the day after Christmas.  Not because I don't like it, I love the lights and colors, but because it reminds me that its over.  The joy and anticipation is over, a haunting reminder of how the holiday fell short of my expectation.

This is, in a lot of ways, how we come before God with our anticipation.  We come expecting!  I've talked about his before.  But what are we expecting, Lights, Show, Action?  God's plans don't always come they way we expect them to, which can leave us very disappointed in the outcome.  People will fail and not put up their share of the bargain, leaving God to go to "plan B", even though He already knew that's what was going to happen anyway.  God always has a plan A, what is best for us; but if we aren't obedient, He can only use what we or others are willing to give Him.  Look at the Israelites, the promised land wasn't far from Egypt, they could have been there within a few days or maybe weeks.  But since they weren't obedient, they were left pining for forty YEARS!!!  This would bring some disappointment to your expectation of a promise, wouldn't it? 

When God doesn't work the plans for us in the way we expected Him to we end up disappointed and thinking he has failed us or He didn't come through for you.  This is far from truth.  God's heart has what is best for you, even when people fail you.  He knows how others will treat you, He hates to see you hurt, and He is constantly working things out for good on your behalf.  He can use the hurts that others throw on you out of disobedience to shape you, draw you closer, and strengthen you.

Of course we hope for the best, we have to.  Without hope we have nothing to live for, but we have to remember we live far from Eden and the perfection of Heaven.  We need to hold our expectations loosely and allow God to do what is best.  When we take our anticipation and our expectations and let God hold it along with our hearts, walking along with my God allows me to take anything that comes my way, knowing that He has my heart in His hands, anticipating a journey of joy,  but not always of happiness.  Expecting He will come through for me teaching and holding me along the way.