Wouldn’t we be so much happier if life met our expectations? Is it that life is meant to be this disappointing or is it that our expectations could use a bit of adjustment? Is it that we are unrealistic about life? Do we spend too much time watching “reality” television. Do we live in romance or adventure novels that have no resemblance to life? Do we expect our spouses to compete with fictional characters? Do we idealize “personalities” and wail in disappointment when our own lives don’t measure up.
The Duggar family didn’t meet up with “expectations” for some, Christians and Christian bashers alike. For some, their family tragedy is an opportunity to celebrate the “fall” of too-good-to-be-true Christian lives. For others, there is a strange comfort in knowing personal family failings aren’t unique. Perhaps, we mourn that the ideal family we thought we knew, is far from perfect.
What did Jesus teach us to expect? Certainly not perfection, either in our conduct or in our lives. We should expect those we admire to fall and to see the same in the mirror. We should expect trouble, even persecution. We should expect things to be new every morning, and pretty worn out by nightfall. We should expect a lot more valleys than mountain tops, at least as many tears as laughs.
That doesn’t mean we should not expect great things. We just need to recognize the things that are great. It’s not great to fall; but it is to get up. It’s not great to feel alone, but it is great to realize we aren’t. It’s not great to hurt but it’t great to be held.
“Blessings”
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
And all the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things’Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise
We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love
As if every promise from Your word is not enough
And all the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we’d have faith to believe
‘Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise
When friends betray us
When darkness seems to win
We know that pain reminds this heart
That this is not,
This is not our home
It’s not our home
‘Cause what if your blessings come through rain drops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near
What if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can’t satisfy
What if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are your mercies in disguise
Agree with this, or better yet disagree? I love to speak to small groups about the things I post. I can talk to your entire church or small group, your breakfast or supper club (do we still have those?). No charge of course, except the one I get out of doing it. However, if food is involved I will stay later. Email me, I dare you.
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